Tiny Pearl
by Stitchpuppy01
Summary: She never looks at anything but Naruto, but when she finally catches someone else's eye, Hinata finds that maybe someone's been watching her too.
1. Lunch

*Disclaimer* I own no part of Naruto or its characters. But that doesn't mean they're not AWSOME. (lol)

Lunch

1

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Hinata was unsure the first few times, but it became clear as to what he was doing after the third occurance. Sasuke Uchia was _staring_ at her. He took quick glances at her from time to time and it was beginning to drive her mad. Hinata was actually very smart, but the reason she got such average grades was because she could never bring herself to concentrate on any of the teachers lectures. There was always a distraction in the way. When all her attention was drawn to the apple of her eye, Naruto, Sasuke would shoot her looks from the corner of his eyes and that wasn't just something you could ignore.

If not for her abnormal eyesight, one wouldn't probably even have noticed. She wondered nervously just how long he'd been watching her, since today was really the first time she'd noticed. And just because she just so happed to lose her focus of Naruto when she dropped her eraser.

During study halls when the teacher popped the lid of a fresh water bottle, tired and exhausted from sending out detention notices and clean-up duty threats in between lectures (to mostly Naruto), all the girls would crowd around on Hinata's side of the classroom to try and get closer to Sasuke. She shuddered every time one of them absentmindedly grazed their shoulder with hers, smelling of ripe perfume and unfamiliar shampoo.

So many people so close…it made her…_uneasy_.

But thank god they were all too busy ogling the Uchia to notice her at all. Unfortunately, however, while the girls were ogling _Sasuke, Naruto _was ogling _Sakura_ with drowning puppy eyes and soft heartbroken sighs. It ate at her heart. Naruto had always tried his best to get stronger, to better himself, to become _somebody_, and not just for anybody, but specifically for her. For Sakura. Not Hinata. Not the boring empty eyed Huuga that he never even gave so much as a second glance toward.

But it's not as if Sakura was the only one with a collar around her neck offering a shiny silver leash. The pink haired teen's persistent affection for Sasuke could only be rivaled by that of Ino Yamanaka, and Hinata preferred to stay away from both of them.

It confused Hinata when she saw Sasuke clenching his fists in annoyance or gritting his teeth in aggravation when all of them talked and pestered him nearly to tears, and he let them. He never told them to go away, only sometimes, and _sometimes_ meaning when he was having a particularly bad day, like today.

Sasuke, with his folded hands supporting his chin, stared at the desk in front of him, trying his best to make it seem like the most interesting thing in the world. He wasn't making any progress at all. Not while there were loud persistent voices babbling and bantering on either side of his head, nearly eating his earlobes from the inside out.

"Sasuke, are you awake? HELLO!!" Sakura shouted, waving her hand in frot of his face, causing wind to gently stroke his perfect raven locks back and forth. He flinched. _Don't kill anybody…_He reminded himself frequently. _Save all homicidal inflictions for Itachi_…Sakura had pulled a chair up to his side of the desk and folded her elbows in front of him, leaning in trying to be as close as possible.

She was strangling his breathing room.

Sasuke's right eye flinched a little. Only Hinata noticed.

"Leave him alone, Billboard Brow, he doesn't like you," Ino scowled, tossing her straight and long corn flowered hair over her shoulder. She had worn it out today, something she never does. She probably felt a little more threatened lately by Sakura who always had her gorgeous pink candy colored hair flowing out like flower petals against her back. Ino also noticed, as did all the other boys (particularly Naruto), that Sakura's attire had become shorter and tighter and after Ino went on a scheduled shopping spree after school today, she would no longer have to worry about that either.

"Shut your trap, Ino, you ugly _pig_. Stop trying impress him by trying to voice his opinions for him. It's pathetic!" Ino, who had also pulled a chair next to the opposite side of Sasuke's desk, folded her legs and let out an unladylike 'hmph!'

"I do _not_ look like a pig. You just call me that because you're too stupid to come up with anything better. But I'll t tell you one thing, _pinky_, you _do_ have a HUGE forehead." And with that last statement she laughed to the side with a joyous look on her face like that of a child who had just said something incredibly smart for their age.

Sakura glared at her like she wanted to take her by the neck and slowly rip off the hair on her head. She was about to take a shot back at her but Sasuke interrupted. "Sakura," he smiled in a way he intended to be affectionate but to Hinata just looked forced. "It's okay, your forehead makes your eyes look bigger. It really brings out the pretty green color." Sasuke tried to control the bile in his stomach after saying that.

Sakura half-fainted. She looked at Sasuke like shewanted to throw him down onto the table right there and then and have her way with him, and Ino looked as if she had done just that. All the girls in the class gave Sakura murderous disapproving looks as they stared from afar.

_There he goes again _thought Hinata. It was confusing. She really didn't understand what he was trying to accomplish by saying things like that when he clearly didn't like Sakura or Ino. Confusion, however, was replaced by heart ache when Naruto grabbed Sakura by the hand and declared, " I think you're ten times prettier than what that Sasuke bastard thinks! You smell really nice too!" He grinned happily at her as he always did.

Sakura mercilessly shoved his hand away as if it had a hideous bug on it. "I didn't give you permission to touch me, you idiot! And nobody was talking to you!" Hinata's heart shrank whenever she watched Sakura treat Naruto like an unwanted stray dog. He deserved better than that. If he would only make her his girlfriend she would do anything for him to make him happy…

"Sakuraaaaa!" he whined.

"No, go away! You're SO annoying!!"

"Go with your boyfriend, Billboard Brow," spat Ino with anger. "You shouldn't be so mean to him when you know he's the best you can do." Obviously she was still pissed by Sasuke's compliment to the pink haired one.

Naruto bent his head down and shamefully rubbed the back of his head. He looked hurt.

Hinata's heart shook with anger. That wasn't fair. Just because she was mad at Sakura didn't give her any right at all to belittle Naruto like that. She didn't care how much he liked Sakura. It really didn't matter…not now.

"Naruto is nice!" Hinata heard herself say without actually realizing it. "You shouldn't talk about him like that when he never did anything to you! Sakura is _lucky _to have someone as kind as Naruto that wants to be her friend."

Not a stutter at all.

Everyone was taken aback, Hinata especailly. Sasuke turned to her with the same incredulous look as everyone else. Sakura and Ino were _surprised_. Naruto was simply _dumfounded._

No one _ever _stands up for him.

It was then that the bell rang telling the kids it was time to run to lunch, which is exactly what they did.

Hinata was especially quick to leave, sensing Sasuke boring his eyes into her back and Naruto doing the same. Sakura and Ino instantly forgot about her remark and clung to Sasuke as he walked, each threatening the other to let go or else.

Hinata went to the roof for lunch. She couldn't bear to be in the same room as Naruto after that little outburst. It was just like someone had shoved a microphone into her voice box and spoke all those words while Hinata's lips played along like some kind of puppet.

Hot blood rushed to her cheeks as she took the lid off her lunch box. Four small rice balls, dumplings, fried rice with chopped peppers and mushrooms, and seven chocolate cookies for a snack. Hinata never ate this much. It was impossible, and yet she always packed a great deal of food. Everyday at lunch as she sat by herself she would stare at Naruto anxiously who only ate a small sandwich or nothing at all. Hinata knew he didn't have any parents or cooking skills, so it was always expected that he's never packed a decent lunch.

She tried to summon up the courage to share her food with him everyday, but the end result was always the same. But…she was certain that she'd get around to it one day, and perhaps if she was on a roll she could even tell him that she packed extra just for him. It was the truth after all.

Just as Hinata had snapped a pair of chopsticks apart, the door to the school roof slammed open, causing her to drop them. She let out a small "eep!" when she saw Sasuke stalk his way along the roof, looking annoyed and…dangerous. He spun his head in her direction, half scared half startled, but relaxed when he saw who it was. Hinata could have sworn she saw all the tension on his shoulders ease as he breathed a small sigh of relief.

He walked over to her, looking calm and breath-taking against the shadows cast by the sun in the background, a breezy spring air playing with his spiky raven hair.

"What are you doing here?" he asked coolly, coming to a stop in front of her. Hinata felt uneasy and a little afraid. They were all alone and she had never talked to this boy a day in her life.

The lady killer _Sasuke Uchia_.

"U-um…e-eating lunch," she stuttered.

Sasuke stared at her lunch box. "I see. Stupid question." He took a seat next to Hinata, which took her by great surprise. She thought that he would just leave. He was _close_ too, almost touching her shoulder, but he seemed completely unaffected. In fact, he didn't even seem to notice. "You eat like a pig, huh?" remarked Sasuke, eyeing the bulky lunch box. Hinata was surprised at his comment.

"Wh-! Ah…n-no, I just….um…" Oh damn. She couldn't tell him that it was because she wanted to share her lunch with Naruto. No way. Especially after what happened in class. Sasuke plucked a rice ball from her lunch box and took a bite. "Mind if I take some? I skipped breakfast this morning and I didn't pack a lunch."

Hinata shook her head in response, relieved of the change in subject. Really she didn't mind, though. There was no way she was going to eat all of it by herself, and she hated letting things go to waste. Hinata took the extra pair of chopsticks in her box, the ones she was saving for Naruto, and handed them to Sasuke. "W-why don't you just eat the school's lunch?" she found herself asking. She hoped he wouldn't take it offensively.

"No way," he responded, snapping the pair of chopsticks in half, and grabbed a dumpling. "Those _creatures _are in there and I don't want them following me any more. I can't stand it. I can't go home and eat either because I _know_ that's the first place they'd look." He stuffed the dumpling hungrily into his mouth, already reaching for another one. "Besides," he muffled through chewed words. "This is really good. Did you make it?"

Hinata looked down, pretending to be interested in what to eat next, and just let out a small "yes," as a response. Her cheeks were hot and red from blushing. Darn compliments. No matter who they were from, they always caused the same reaction. It just wasn't something she was used to.

"Impressive." He grabbed another rice ball after shoveling a clump of tasty fried rice into his mouth and bit down satisfyingly. Hinata suppressed a smile. _Who eats like a pig?_

Hinata took a dumpling and chewed it slowly.

Neither of them said a word to the other the rest of lunch. Hinata found that in the end she had really only eaten a dumpling and two chocolate cookies while Sasuke devoured the rest.

She didn't mind. She was so small…she didn't really eat much. She just really enjoyed cooking…it reminded her of her mother.

"Thanks," said Sasuke, and got to his feet.  
"Y-you're w-welcome," stuttered Hinata, putting the lid back on her lunch box, and mimicked his actions. Sasuke walked to the entrance and opened the door. Hinata brushed any dust that might have been clinging her jacket off, and when she looked up was surprised to find Sasuke standing at the open door looking at her.

"Come," he commanded. "We'll be late for class."  
Hinata obeyed and ran to his side. As she was following behind him, staring thoughtfully at his back, she found herself trying to break down his character into pieces to help ease her confusion.

Hinata figured that he was just a dark person, but that opinion had changed a little after eating lunch with him. A little. He sure was quiet…but so was she. He probably liked to play with girls' emotions when he was bored or annoyed, which would explain his behavior toward Sakura and Ino, and he was alone a lot. So was she. But why was he always staring at her?

_My eyes._

Thought Hinata. Of course. It made perfect sense. They had no definition and were as blank as an unused canvas. Strange they were, possessed only by the Huuga clan. And how many Huugas _went_ to her school? Two. Her Neji-niisan, who was a grade above her and located in an entirely different part of the school, and herself.

_And he only ate lunch with me because he was hungry__._

Everything made sense now. Maybe Sasuke Uchia _wasn't_ so confusing. Hinata was a little relived with the conclusions she had come up with. It was so like him. After all, it's not like one of the reasons was because he actually _liked_ her or anything laughably ridiculous like that.


	2. Eyes of a Killer

Eyes of a Killer

2

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They didn't have lunch together after the day on the roof, or the day after, or the day after that. It seemed almost as if Sasuke had been ignoring her, in fact. And that, however, was perfectly okay with Hinata. Sasuke made her weary enough as it is, just being in the same room as him. Looking back on it she had no idea how she had gotten through that lunch date.

"Date"

_My God_…thought Hinata. It wasn't really…?! She reached up to cup her hot cheeks at the thought. It's not like it was planned or anything--definitely not. But still...

Hinata was on her way to school at the academy, running later than usual.

Please.

A training academy. What she _should _be doing is attending a regular academy. A _training _academy was for kids who wanted to become great ninja or were _already_ on their way to becoming great ninja…like her Neji-niisan. She fit into neither of those categories.

It was heartbreaking, really. Every member, main branch or not, had to attend training academies, for the Huuga clan is a clan made almost completely of warriors, and was also one of Kohana's most feared and respected clans. Known for being great warriors and prodigy bearers much like the Uchihas, it would be considered an extreme embarrassment if one didn't attend _some_ kind of training academy in their youth..

Unfortunately, Hinata was the heir to the Huuga clan, and failing…not miserably (yet)…but _failing. _An average student would be a way to describe her at best. How…

Shameful.

She wished she were like her Neji-niisan. He was the school's top Genin, literally a genius, and talented and skilled in the Huuga clan fighting style. The boy's profile was…

_Impressive._

And he'd always hated Hinata. But that never stopped her from loving him. Family is family no matter what, right?

...right?

Luckily, her Neji-niisan had always been out of sight and out of the way. And vice versa. Their social status as well as their abilities kept them separated a lot, even though they lived in the same manor.

When Hinata had gotten to class and nestled herself way at the top of the room (because the floor was arranged in layers by height) as she usually does to avoid any human confrontation, she folded her arms across her desk and rested her head on her sleeves, staring at Naruto comfortably. He was currently chattering away to a very _very_ annoyed Sakura who was tapping her unnaturally long nails on the desk--Sasuke's desk--impatiently waiting for him to arrive.

Where _was _Sasuke? He always comes to class so early. _Probably to avoid running into Sakura or Ino, _thought Hinata, half amused. She knew this because she would always come to school early herself to avoid contact with her father and Neji. The only reason she was later than usual today was because her father had called her in early and had a long "progress" talk with her. Being head of the clan made him a very busy man, and Hinata had guessed he probably wouldn't have had anyother time to talk today.

Being a rich and powerful clan, the Hokage sometimes left matters--sometimes foreign, sometimes political--to the Huuga's when things got too overwhelming or too stressful for himself. Hinata's father would be attending to the soon-to-be-arrival of the Kazekage's (ruler of the Sand Village, also known as Suna) three children who would be enrolling in Hinata's training academy. She had heard the branch members talking about it from time to time.

That's usually how she got any information about what her father was doing. After all, they didn't, by any means, have _that _kind of relationship. The kind in which the father asks how the child's day was after school, the kind in which the child openly expresses any concerns or problems, the kind in which the child asks the father to help with homework or a bully at school or boyfriend or girlfriend issues. The kind in which the father holds the child close when they're crying, the kind that whispers in their ear that everything would be okay. The kind that sometimes stalks the child up to their room at night and stares at them through a slightly open doorway as the child sleeps, gazing, reflecting on how fast their child is growing up, and his heart, slowly but surely, inflates with pride and content.

It was nothing like that. _Not at all._

It was more like a business relationship. You're used as you are needed but when lagging behind are replaced and pushed aside. And that was exactly what was happening to her. Hanabi. Her little sister. She posed a great threat to Hinata's position as heir to the Huuga Clan, and if Hinata had not been threatened with the curse mark of the lower branch, the same one which caused her Neji-niisan so much pain and chronic nightmares, she wasn't sure she cared.

It was a good thing she had Naruto. He didn't know it, but he was the one thing that could keep Hinata from going crazy, which to anyone's surprise, turned out to be an alarming number of times. Even when he was so absorbed in his love for Sakura , the one that had stolen the name of a flower, and perhaps even it's looks as well.

Hinata was…envious to say the least. And she couldn't understand it. Why…or rather _how_ Sakura could so easily push Naruto aside for the stoic dark haired Uchiha who had never even given her so much as a smile…a smile that was real, that is. But hell…Sasuke never smiled at anyone. Except to himself, and those smiles, Hinata noticed, were bitter with the sourness of pain that life had inflicted upon him. That was something he could not hide even from one with _normal_ eyes.

But maybe that's why they thought Sasuke was so attractiveand alluring. Because maybe they thought that if he opened up and gave them his trust, they could _heal _him, thus trapping him in an affection which they could claim for their own--claim the heart that everybody wanted but no one could get. Like he was some kind of _prize_.

How…pathetic.

Hinata thought about that reason, but only for a moment, reflecting on all the passionate looks they gave him. Looks of desperation and longing, along with expressions of greed and determination.

_Or maybe it's just his looks. _She pondered. It made a lot more sense. After all, it was _Sakura_ and _Ino. _But other girls were probably different and it wasn't all about the looks. Hinata wondered what else it could be, but nothing came to mind.

Down at the front of the classroom, Sakura rolled her eyes at something Naruto said, catching Hinata's gaze accidentally, and Hinata snapped back into focus. Sakura stared at her, wide eyed with shock and anger. Hinata returned a surprised and confused glance, turning her head in nervousness only to find Ino giving her the same look, as well as some of the other girls.

What was going on? Hinata looked around frantically for half a second only to find that the reason was because Sasuke had planted himself in the seat next to her. _Right_ next to her, and was staring at her from the corner of his eye, facing forward with his chin resting over his folded hands.

What was he doing?! Actually, he wasn't doing anything _bad_, Hinata caught herself thinking mid-shock, but he sure was doing something out of the ordinary. But why? Hinata glanced down at Sakura. _Of course_. She was sitting in _his_ seat. And Hinata, being the shy one that she is, always took a seat in the upper part of the classroom where hardly anyone sat.

"Do you mind?" Sasuke asked in a monotone voice.  
"N-no. I-I don't mind." Hinata shied her gaze away and pretended to be interested in whatever was going on below the classroom…which was nothing in particular. _How long has he been there?_ Hinata wondered.

Hinata relaxed a bit, or tried to, by making a quiet sigh of what Sasuke mistook as relief. Hinata was taken aback slightly when she thought she saw a flash of some sort in his eyes, but figured she was just imagining things.

However, as relaxed as she tried to make herself, even when it seemed that Sasuke wasn't paying any attention to her at all (though she had an itching feeling that he definitely _was_) and the stares upon the two of them averted to the teacher, that didn't make it any easier for her to pay attention to the lesson…as usual.

Sasuke discretely twitched his nose, pretending to mentally absord the teacher's lecture. Hinata's scent wafted gently into his nose and he couldn't help but feel relaxed. He inhaled through short casual breaths so that she wouldn't detect anything. It smelled of soap and flowers…it was comforting and it reminded him very much of his mother. Not at all like Sakura or Ino who's scent reminded him of a wanna-be prostitute who had used an overwhelmingly generous amount of noxious and overly sweet scented perfume. Not too smart a tactic for attracting a mate.

Sasuke's nose twitched again, this time a little less discretely, as he indicated faint traces of their perfume mixed in with Hinata's scent. Oh how he suffered when he was forced to inhale all of it at once, and from two people, as they pestered and tortured him, close range, at the bottom of the classroom. One of the reasons he was always in such a bad mood. 'You smell really nice too.' Sasuke could hear Naruto saying to Sakura. Sasuke gave a small 'hmph' accompanied by a hidden smirk. _You can have her, dobe. _

Sasuke was relieved he didn't have to deal with that today. He would have liked to hang around Hinata more, even if he was a little too embarrassed and prideful to admit it, but it seemed that his presence _bothered _her. Almost like him just sitting next to her as he was doing now, made her nervous and scared even.

It surprised him when she gave a sigh of what looked like relief, and he felt a pang of happiness. It confused him. It only lasted for a quick second, but it was there. He could detect that feeling like fire in a blizzard. It was such a foreign feeling to him…and he thought it to be quite absurd.

After all, such feelings such as happiness…and content…and _love_, what were they good for? Wasn't it the love he had for his clan, his _parents, _who had been so brutally murdered, the reason behind his obsession to kill his brother? Wasn't it _anger_ and _hatred_ that had replaced love the day he vowed to avenge his clan and cut off all ties to anyone for fear of a history repeating itself? With love only comes grief, just like with hope only comes despair. The two are inseparable. Never will he put himself at risk again.

Hinata, however, _confused _him. She didn't make him have any of those feelings…hatred and anger…or annoyance like with Sakura or Ino. He wasn't sure what he felt when she was around. Hinata was too timid and kind for you to hate, and too distanced and shy to be friendly to. But he didn't think nothing of her either. There was proof in the fact that when he trained, nothing but thoughts of Itatchi on his mind--how he would kill him slowly, how he would rip his black heart out with his own two hands and burn it with the very same fire jutsu that his father had taught him--Hinata's image would creep up into his inner vision, causing him to shake his head vigorously.

_Hinata Huuga_…he thought. Shy and docile with a stutter that you either found cute or just plain annoying (and Sasuke involuntarily leaning more towards cute than anything), and crushing on the dobelike glass under a bus_. _And that was a whole other subject entirely. He thought Hinata's not so secret affection she held for the idiot was strange, like herself, and _stupid_ for sure, but there was another feeling there too. Like when his father used to take Itatchi on private training sessions somewhere where he was told _not _to come. It felt something like that…but it didn't make any sense to him at all. He wasn't sure if he should be angry or just confused…so he was both.

_Goddammit…_He thought, rubbing his head in frustration. Thankfully Iruka had called attention to the class, distracting him from such absurd thoughts.

When Sasuke actually started paying attention, he noticed someone standing beside Iruka. This person stood upright, a head or so shorter than the teacher. A new student? What the hell?

Hinata examined the boy carefully with wide eyes, recognizing him immediately from a description by one of Father's men. It was one of the Kazekage's offspring, no doubt. The students, especially the girls, but some boys more so, stared at him with an instinctive trembling fear in their eyes. The strange boy gazed at them with what Hinata would call 'looks that could kill'…literally. But he also looked bored too. Even Iruka was looking quite pale, inching a few short paces away from him. Hinata was surprised that some girls were giving him the same look they gave Sasuke, only coated with distrust and anxiousness.

The boy had fiery red hair and an outfit made of brown, almost sandy, fabric that plainly indicated he had come from the desert. A strange gourd was strapped to his back which he effortlessly wore in an upright cross-armed position.

Sasuke cast him an inquisitive glance, thinking to himself _oh great, another weirdo_. But upon closer inspection he could see eyes that he recognized…They were very much like his own, but different too. And Sasuke knew how. Right away he could identify what kind of eyes those were…pale green, small and threatening, cold and murderous.

_Those eyes belong to that of a killer._

Iruka gulped and made a nervous smile, making a welcoming hand gesture towards the boy, but reluctantly as if he would bite his whole arm off if he stretched it out too far.

"Class," he said, "this is Gaara Sabaku, and he will be joining us for the rest of the school year."


	3. Formalities

Formalities

3

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Hinata fidgeted in her seat. She tried to stare at something, anything, to take her focus off the Uchiha that was sitting so _extremely_ close to her in the back of the class. Why he was sitting closer to her than usual she didn't know, but what she did know was that he wasn't the only one sitting making her uncomfortable. That strange new student, Gaara Sabaku, also sat in the back of the class. She would have forgotten he was even in the class if he hadn't sat right behind her. And the only reason she noticed was because that particular half of the class was emptier than usual.

She looked on the left side of the room. Nearly all seats were completely full. Sakura even dared to sit next Naruto to avoid getting anywhere near Gaara, though that didn't stop her from giving Hinata death glares every now and then.

She didn't think Gaara was looking at her, but there was something she felt wasn't right. Hinata noticed that Sasuke was as calm as ever, save for a sweat bead that was making it's way down the back of his neck. She studied him carefully within her peripherals. His breathing was a tad uneven and his mouth twitched from behind his hands which he kept folded over his mouth. His elbows, resting on the desk, were steady, his back slouched. Some how or another Hinata could tell that Sasuke was keeping a close eye on the boy behind them.

Sasuke did look at her from time to time when he thought she wasn't paying attention, however, but remained silent.

Gaara scanned the students from the back of the class. He had preferred to sit someplace where there wasn't a lot of people, though he was certain he could sit anywhere without that having to be a problem. It was the natural instinct of humans to keep their distance from him…like they were doing now. He was surprised, though, to find there were even a _few_ students that did not bother relocate themselves. _Brave souls_, he thought amused.

He studied them. One was a boy. He had spiky dark hair with pale skin and a blue shirt with what looked like the Uchiha crest symbol on the back of it.

_Uchiha…_

He had seen the crest before. A few members from the Uchiha police force had come to Suna during some points of his childhood. They were on business, sent by the Hokage, and he only knew about it because his father was the Kazekage. He had heard a short time later that the entire Uchiha clan was _murdered_. By one of their own kind. It was an amusing story to him, what with all the tragedies in his life, but he'd also heard there was a single survivor. And the boy sitting directly in from of him must be the very one.

_Well, well, it seems that I am in the presence of a celebrity. I am honored…_

His expression showed nothing as usual, but if it did, it would have shown outrageous amusement. He smirked inwardly.

_Someone like me_…Gaara thought. _He must be strong_…

But this other student…_this girl_…despite being so quiet, she was one of the first people he'd noticed yesterday when being introduced to the class. Her eyes where not like anyone else's that he'd ever seen before. They were like a light mist, white and glassy. Her skin matched her eyes almost perfectly, and her hair was dark and shiny like a shadowy onyx. He had immediately recognized this girl as a member of the Huuga clan. It was a famously powerful and rich clan in Kohana, matched only against what used to be the Uchiha clan, and known for it's warriors.

Gaara believed his sister Temari was attending classes with one as well, but she was in another part of the school. He wondered just how many Huugas were attending the academy. After all, he was certain there was only oneUchiha. Gaara also wondered if she was strong at all. The girl certainly didn't look it.

Still…maybe he would test her one day, just to see what she was made of. Granted, if he wound up killing her it might cause a bit of an uproar, but he enjoyed uproars. It was easier killing people during a commotion.

Class didn't end soon enough for Hinata. All day she had been trying unsuccessfully to ignore the raging tension in the air between Gaara and Sasuke, which was weird since they never even said one word to another. Hinata assumed it must be some sort of…_male _thing.

When the bell rang Hinata jumped, but was extremely relieved. Perhaps she too would sit on the other side of the classroom tomorrow. Perhaps even next to Naruto…

As Hinata rose to her feet, so did Sasuke, perfectly in sync with her movements. Just as Hinata grabbed her bag a low and rough voice behind them said, "Hey." It wasn't threatening or friendly, just monotone.

Hinata's heart jumped. Both she and Sasuke turned around, but the red haired desert nin was only looking at Sasuke, much to her relief. "Uchiha," Gaara addressed, also standing from his seat.

"Yeah?" Sasuke responded with the same absence of enthusiasm.

"There is an upcoming tournament being held at this school in a matter of weeks, yes?"

"Yeah, what about it?"

"Will you be competing?" There were no fluctuations in his voice as a normal person would have when asking a question, but there was definitely hidden curiosity.

"I am," Sasuke replied simply.

Gaara closed his eyes, thoughtful, then turned to Hinata. She looked more surprised than scared, even though she was that too.

"And you, Huuga?" Gaara asked with the same level of curiosity.

Before she could even respond Sasuke stepped in front of her. "No, she isn't," he answered for her. "Only the other Huuga will be competing. The two of us should be enough."

Hinata didn't know what Sasuke was talking about. The two of them should be enough? For what? She looked at Gaara carefully.

_Enough to compete against him? _She thought, half scared for Sasuke, half scared for her Neji-niisan.

"Is that so?" Gaara replied quietly, again looking thoughtful. "Well, then, train well."

He climbed to the upper level of the classroom where the exit was located and took his leave. It was then Hinata noticed that the whole class had been watching their little exchange, and her cheeks flushed. After Gaara left they dallied for a moment or two, probably stalling so they wouldn't accidentally catch him in the hallway by leaving too early, then began filing out.

Sasuke didn't look at her when he passed, heading for the exit.

"U-Um, Uchiha-san, wait," she called silently.

Sasuke, though expressionless, turned around immediately. "Yes?"

"U-Um…what you said about the tournament…"

"What about it?"

"Y-You were mistaken. I _will _be competing."

Sasuke's eyes widened to an extraordinary degree. He turned his whole body forward to face her, trying his best to retain his calm. "What?" he asked dangerously.

Hinata cringed back a little, regretting she had even said anything. "U-Um, yes. As you probably already know I am t-the heir to the Huuga clan and so…it is mandatory for me."

Sasuke opened his mouth as if he were about to protest, then returned to his expressionless state. "I see," was all he said.

"Well in that case, train as hard as you can. Otherwise you might get killed." Sasuke turned, taking his leave without another word.

Hinata's heart sank. Yes…she doubted someone would actually kill her, seeing as it as it was only a school tournament, but accidents do happen, right? And if any accident at all were to occur during the tournament, she was sure she'd be the one to get the short end of the stick.

"Hinata!" someone addressed loudly. Hinata jumped slightly, taken aback, and saw Naruto waving at her from the other end of the room. He rushed over to her, an excited look on his face.

Quickly she thought about running--no, sprinting--away, but that would have made her look foolish, so she stayed where she was. Completely paralyzed. "Y-Yes Naruto-kun?" she asked timidly.

"Hinata, I didn't know you were competing in the competition!"

"Y-Yes…I suppose I am." Hinata tried to keep from stuttering, or at the very least raise some confidence in her voice, but nothing was working. Instead she began twiddling her fingers nervously, looking everywhere except at the nin in front of her.

"I will be too, isn't it great?" he exclaimed. "I'll actually be competing in a real tournament as a real ninja! This so rocks!!" He jumped up enthusiastically, throwing a punch in the air to emphasize his excitement.

Though horribly frightened at the idea of competing in the tournament, Hinata found herself smiling, very happy for Naruto. She knew how hard he'd worked to become a ninja at the academy, and now his efforts were finally beginning to pay off. Yes, she was happy for him indeed. It almost made the tournament bearable.

Almost.

"W-Well, I'll be going Naruto-kun," Hinata said shyly. "I'll see you around."

It was impossible to keep from running out the exit, so that's what she did. Hinata faintly heard Naruto shout good-bye to her, and as she continued running down the hallway, bag tightly clasped to her chest, she found herself smiling immensely, even half giggling. _He…He talked to me!! He actually came up and talked to me of his own free will!!_

Hinata didn't want to go home right away. She wanted to take her time walking to her house. Hinata was the happiest she had been in weeks, and didn't want to ruin things by going home. It was always the same when walking in the door. A gloomy depression would wash over her, filling her with misery and a faint hint of dread. Because she knew no one wanted her there. Because she knew what everyone though of her. How everyone looked at her. Who would be in a rush to go to place where you knew no one wanted you?

As Hinata was wandering the streets, she noticed a decrease in people walking about. When she looked into the sky she saw it was getting dark. Already there were stars peeking their way into the night, and the sun was dripping into the horizon beyond the trees where the training grounds were located.

There was a small prickle in the back of her neck that she reached up to stroke, thinking it might have been a bug, but nothing was there. She began feeling it all over skin after a while, and she creased her eyebrows in discomfort. It didn't feel so much uncomfortable as it did…unsettling. Like someone was following her.

It was right then she decided it would be best to go home. Now. Darkness was beginning to descend faster than she'd hoped, but she didn't want to start running home. Again, she imagined the feeling of walking into her house…not pleasing.

As Hinata was walking, she felt some dirt kick up alongside her ankles. She ignored this at first, but it became persistent. Her first thought was that a slight breeze had picked up, sweeping some loose dirt across the ground, only…there was no wind.

"Are you in such a rush to go home, Huuga?" a voice asked from beyond the darkness. Hinata gasped, flinching back, and saw the silhouette of a boy leaning against a closed shop, arms crossed. Gaara. Hinata would have been able to pinpoint him from anywhere, even without the assistance of his voice. After all, exactly how many kids walked around with a giant gourd strapped to their back?

"U-Um…" she mumbled, taking a step back.

Gaara didn't move at all, but he did turn to stare at her. Hinata only imagined what his eyes looked like without the shadows of street lamps masking his face.

"You seem scared," he noted in a quiet and rough voice. It was a voice that seemed threatening no matter what form of stress you put into the words. Hinata didn't respond. Gaara straightened up, moving an inch from the wall and into the direct light of a lamp. "Is something the matter?" he asked. Though frightening, Hinata noticed how…proper and polite his speech was. Unsettling.

"Tell me, Huuga…" Gaara whispered into the night, reaching his hand out slowly, cupping his palm upward. A small whisk of dirt sprang up at Hinata's ankles, only this time it nipped at her. She looked down. No, not dirt…sand. "Do you…fight?"

"I don't see how that's any of your business, Gaara of the Desert," came a quiet and threatening voice. Sasuke appeared from behind Hinata, startling her greatly, and she flinched sideways. Sasuke took his hand and balanced her when it looked like she was about to fall, never taking eyes off Gaara. He dropped his hand from Hinata's shoulder and stepped in front of her.

"Good evening, Uchiha," the desert nin greeted, retrieving his hand, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Evening," Sasuke returned. "The tournament isn't for a while," he continued. "There's no reason to start eliminating the competition so early. Where would the fun be in that?" There was a smirk clear in Sasuke's voice, and Hinata hugged her bag more tightly to her chest.

A small snort escaped Gaara's nostrils. "Indeed," he responded. "Well in that case, do not disappoint me. I expect my prey to put up a decent fight before I end their life."

A whirring column of sand erupted into the air and disappeared, taking Gaara along with it, and suddenly it was just Sasuke and Hinata standing alone in the middle of the road.

"Don't wander out by yourself like this again," Sasuke counseled solemnly, back facing her. "At least not while he's here."

Even though Hinata knew Sasuke couldn't see her, she nodded in response.

"Let's go," he said abruptly. "I'll walk you home."


	4. Enemies

Enemies

4

//-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------//

There were benches outside of the academy's cafeteria where students would eat their lunch when the sun was high in the sky, like today. Hinata sat at the one which she always did, far from the bulk of kids and under the shadow of a thicket of trees. Hinata didn't really like the sun; the Huuga complexion didn't very much care for it, so this spot was a bonus for her.

Hinata looked down at her lunch box and frowned to herself. She didn't know what she was thinking when she packed it this morning.

Not only was there enough food for her, but two other people as well. For who exactly she had no idea. It was kind of something that just…happened. She also remembered packing a lunch for her Neji-nissan which she left on the table with a note attached, but she doubted very much that he'd taken it. In fact, Hinata was certain he'd rather eat dirt than something she made for him.

But that was okay. As long as he had the option of eating her lunch if wanted.

Without thinking Hinata looked up, scanning the crowd of students, hoping to see a flash of orange somewhere. She did, right in the midst of a throng of chattering kids, eating and laughing with one another.

Naruto, who usually sat by himself, had taken a seat at Sakura's table, no doubt trying to sweep her up in his excitement over the upcoming tournament. Hinata sighed despairingly. Only yesterday he was trying to do the same to her…

And Sasuke. As of late, her encounters with him had been extremely random, and she had no idea how or why they've been happening. When she was walking home yesterday he had appeared quite literally out of nowhere, just like Gaara, so maybe he was the one who'd been following her…? But why would he do that?

Either way, she was extremely grateful for his interference. It seemed almost as if he was protecting her from Gaara.

Gaara.

He was there, a motionless statue, leaning against the far wall of the building, staring off into the sky. He had his arms crossed over his chest, and his expression was that of boredom and slight irritation. The rest of the nin sitting at the benches turned to look at him from time to time, relieved that he had settled himself at a distance so far away, but also anxious as if they were in a hurry to leave for class. Which was never the case.

As if sensing Hinata's eyes on him, Gaara turned exactly in her direction, glaring. Or perhaps just looking, Hinata wasn't sure since his eyes just seemed to be shaped in such a way that made it look like he was glaring when he wasn't, and she let out a tiny "Eep!" directing her gaze elsewhere.

It was then she accidentally caught Sasuke's eyes. He too, was staring at her, but from beyond a crowd of people. He sat with Sakura, Ino, Naruto, and other academy nins Shikamaru and Choji. He ate nothing.

Sasuke never sat outside for lunch, since he knew for a fact Sakura and Ino would crowd him like they were doing now, so why the change?

Hinata saw Gaara shift within her peripherals and instinctively turned to look at him. Sasuke, noticing her reaction, did he same and met Gaara's eyes. Though his head was turned, Hinata could see Sasuke shoot a very unfriendly glare in Gaara's direction which he returned with a casual and uninterested look.

To Hinata's surprise, two nin came out of the building from the far right of the courtyard and approached Gaara. One was a spiky blond girl with a massive fan, and the other a tall and bulky nin with a giant…something on his back. It was something very large wrapped in gauze.

They didn't look scared of him like anyone else would have, and even started talking to him as if they already knew each other. Perhaps they did. Could these two be Gaara's siblings Hinata had heard about in the Huuga manor? It was possible. They didn't look anything at all alike, though.

The bell rang suddenly and Hinata glanced down at her lunch box for the last time. It was completely full. She'd eaten nothing.

Sakura and Ino, clearly absorbed in an argument, rose from their seats and started walking to class. Naruto jumped up to follow after Sakura, of course, and Shikamaru and Choji departed without so much as a goodbye.

Hinata got from her seat and walked over to Sasuke, scolding herself inwardly with every step.

"Uchiha-san," she approached, gently carrying the lunch box.

Sasuke, at first looking a bit surprised that she'd actually come up to talk to him, turned his attention toward her and said casually, "Yes?"

"U-Um…thank you so much for walking me home yesterday. I d-didn't know you were so kind."

"Because I'm not," he replied flatly. "You're lucky I just happened to be there. As I've said before, don't wander out by yourself at night."

Hinata nodded obediently and glanced at the object in her arm. She put it on the table in front of him.

"P-Please take it," she said. "It's full, and I packed enough for several people. I noticed you didn't eat anything today, so…um…"

"Thank you," Sasuke said simply.

Hinata nodded once more and turned to walk away, but Sasuke stopped her.

"Huuga," he said.

"Y-Yes?"

Sasuke opened the lid of the lunchbox and removed a plump riceball. He offered it to her. "You didn't eat anything today either. Take this. You need to take better care of yourself if you're going to train efficiently."

Hinata hesitated, knowing she couldn't refuse, and took the riceball. "Th-Thank you very much, Uchiha-san."

"Sasuke," he corrected sternly. "Call me Sasuke."

Hinata flushed deeply and responded in a tiny squeak, "O-Okay." She put a hand to her cheek and rushed away.

Hinata slowed to a walk when descending onto the stairs that led into the lower level of the building where her next class was located. She was running a little late since she'd taken the extra time to talk to Sasuke, and suddenly she found herself staring at the riceball in her hand. _Sasuke Uchiha…_she thought. _Told me to take care of myself. Out of everyone in the world I can't believe he is the only one to ever…_

"Huuga," a quiet voice addressed from beside her. Hinata stopped dead in her tracks and whirled to the right. Gaara was there, back turned, staring out a window stoically with his arms crossed.

"Do not think the Uchiha will always be around to save you," he said without emotion. "A warrior must be prepared for an attack at any time. You are not."

Hinata creased her eyebrows and looked down shamefully. Gaara continued staring out the window, as if suddenly forgetting her, and she carefully approached his side. "G-Gaara-san," she started, not knowing at all what she was doing. "A-Are you hungry? Please, if you are you may take this." She held the riceball up for him to take, and Gaara shifted his form slightly to the side.

Something flashed across his face then; something clearly resembling surprise, as if unable to believe someone was actually presenting him with an offering, but it disappeared so quickly Hinata wondered if she'd just imagined it. Gaara stared at the riceball, his expression an impenetrable mask.

"You dare show kindness to your enemy?" he said lowly.

Hinata drew her hand back. "I…um…" She looked down, uncertain of how to respond, then turned to go. Gaara stared at her back, waiting for her departure.

"You know, Gaara-san," she said in a quiet voice. "We're only supposed to be enemies when pitted against each other in a match."

For the second time in her life, no stutter.

Hinata drew the riceball close to her chest and scurried off.

**//***************************//note from moi//**************************//**

**I am surprised at how much hype this story is getting, and am deeply moved that so many people are interested.**

**I started this story some years ago and have only been able to upload it recently. If you'll notice, the most current chapters are a great deal more developed (at the very least grammatically) than the first one.**

**Never before this moment did I imagine that this story would ever make it past 2 chapters, let alone up to 4, and know that it has only been possible because of everyone who has given me their devotion.**

**Please keep reviewing, as it is the only thing breathing life into this fanfiction.**

**I greatly appreciate and love absolutely everything it is you have to say. **

**Please keep supporting me no matter what.**


	5. Stars

Stars

5

//-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------//

"Hinata-sama," someone addressed from behind. Hinata, who was in her room packing a few things to take with her to the training grounds, spun around to see who it was.

"O-Oh, Neji-niisan…" she half squeaked. A rare day indeed when Neji would willingly approach her, and even when delivering a message he would follow through with it, cold and brisk, then be on his way as quick as possible. His eyes, though white as a sheet of paper, were never kind. And even though they were not kind now, there was something different about them that caused Hinata to snap to attention.

"Hinata-sama, it has come to my attention that the Kazekage's son, Sabaku Gaara, has enrolled in your class," Neji said.

Hinata parted her mouth in surprise, puzzled as to how he knew this, and answered quietly, "Y-Yes. He has."

"I know he's only in your class, but I feel that--as your…guardian--I must give warnings when and where they are necessary."

"W-Warning?"

"Yes. Sabaku Gaara. Stay away from him."

Hinata blinked rapidly a few times, taken aback. "Wh--"

"You don't know how dangerous he is, Hinata-sama. There have been nin and innocents who have died by his hand. He feels no remorse for those he has killed, and would do so again when given the chance."

Hinata went stiff. Her eyes were wide with disbelief, but…was it really all that hard to believe? Gaara, the same one who's eyes possessed a thirst for blood, death, and power, the same one who's glare could cut through steel, the same one who had tried to attack her the night before…no. It wasn't hard to believe at all.

Still…

"I will say it once more," Neji reiterated. "Stay away from him. Whether or not you decide to take my advice is your decision." Neji turned and began making his way out Hinata's room, and once he reached the doorway he looked over his shoulder, meeting Hinata's eyes once more. "One more thing," he said. "I advise you not to get to close to the Uchiha."

Hinata flinched back in shock. Did Neji know about Hinata's encounters with Sasuke? "But…but Neji-niisan, why--"

"Train well, Hinata-sama. Have a nice day. Also, make sure to come home earlier than you did yesterday. I don't want to have to report you to your father. And…" he turned to walk out the door. "Thank you for the lunch."

On her way to the training grounds, Hinata passed by Ino's grandmother's flower shop. Ino was inside bickering with Sakura.

"Why would he even accept a flower from you anyway, Billboard Brow?" spat Ino, tossing her long hair over her shoulder. "He doesn't even like you."

"Oh, because he like _you_ so much better?" Sakura shot back, bending down to examine a few roses.

"Well, aside from the fact that he totally _does_, exactly how stupid is it to give a guy flowers for his birthday? Shouldn't you at least think of something that made sense for a change? Jeez, I thought you were supposed to be smart. You should see what _I'm _going to get Sasuke."

Sakura started snapping insults back at Ino, but whatever they said was lost in the distance Hinata was covering. "Sasuke's birthday?" Hinata mumbled to her herself. "W-When?" She caught herself then, feeling incredibly guilty that she had not known or even tried to know, but that in turn, made her feel moronic. She didn't even know Sasuke that well. Though having talked a few times, realistically, the two weren't close in any way.

Sasuke would more than likely spend his birthday with his friends--with his teammates--not to mention every young girl in Kohana would be throwing presents into his window that very morning. There was no reason for Hinata to feel bad. A lot of people liked and admired Sasuke, and so Hinata was sure he'd have a great birthday without her concern.

While immersed in her thoughts, Hinata had not noticed how close she came to bumping into someone on the road. She swerved to the right at the last second, barely avoiding them, but squeaked an apology nonetheless.

Then she saw who it was.

Hinata stiffened.

Gaara was there, standing before her, glaring down with unemotional eyes. Behind him stood his siblings, surprised and for reasons she did not know, afraid. They looked at one another and exchanged a flash of horror when he'd stopped to face her.

Neji's warning rang in her ears.

"_Sabaku Gaara. Stay away from him. There have been nin and innocents who have died by his hand. "_

"N-Now Gaara," the spiky blond girl--his older sister--began. She made a comforting gesture with her hands, taking a cautious step forward as if testing a minefield, and said shakily, "I'm sure she didn't mean to do it. L-Look at her, she's just a girl. Let's just keep walk--"

"Pay attention when you walk," Gaara told Hinata stonily, eyes narrowing a fraction. "Or you'll wind up getting hurt."

Temari and Kankuro exchanged another glance, this time of bewilderment and confusion. Hinata nodded, her voice shot, and moved aside, allowing Gaara to pass. He did, and without another look. His siblings, before following after him, gave Hinata quick look-overs, then went on their way.

When they were gone, Hinata exhaled a breath, staring after them for the shortest second, wondering briefly where they were going, then hurried in the opposite direction for the training grounds.

Once Hinata found a target site that was unoccupied, she dumped her bag against a nearby tree, then went to stretch. She loosened up her arms, torso, legs, and shoulder joints before returning to her bag to fish out a few throwing stars.

Readying herself, Hinata took several stars in hand, spreading her feet apart accordingly, and pulled her arm back to thrust the weapons forward. Drawing back, she used her focus to hone in on the target, and just as she was about to release the throwing stars, a loud and familiar voice shouted her name from a distance.

"Hey look! It's Hinata!"

Hinata squeaked in surprise, releasing the stars at the wrong angle; not only missing the target, but embedding them into a number of trees in the distance.

"Hinata-chan!" Naruto called, running over and waving happily.

Hinata spun around, her cheeks bursting into flames at the site of him. "N-Naruto-kun!She gasped in surprise. But upon a second glance, she could see someone else behind Naruto.

His dark, spiky hair tussled in the wind and he reached up to graze the bangs form his eyes so that he could look at her. His expression was solid, his mouth set in a hard line. Apparently he wasn't surprised to see her. Uchiha Sasuke.

"Hinata-chan!" Naruto called in her ear, waving his hands in front of her face. She had no idea he'd come that close, and instinctively reacted by jumping back a length, immediately putting distance between them. Her face was so incredibly red that she had to bow her head in embarrassment, cupping her heated cheeks in her palms.

"H-Hi, Naruto-kun," she stammered, working up a fluster.

"Hinata-chan, what are you doin' here all by yourself? I thought your team didn't have practice today."

Naruto was smiling, completely oblivious to Hinata's discomfort, and took a few steps to clear the distance she'd put between them. It was a friendly gesture, but Hinata could feel herself about to explode. She began drawing back, humiliated with herself, until a belligerent and unfriendly "Hmph" sounded between them.

Sasuke, on his way past the target, seemed to purposely/accidentally knock Naruto back with his shoulder, causing him to nearly stumble on the ground. Sasuke continued walking without an apology or an acknowledgment. "Hey, Sasuke-Bastard!" Naruto shouted furiously. "Watch where you're going!!"

Hinata folded one hand into the other in a nervous gesture. She hated it when Naruto was angry…

"Are you listening, Sasuke?!" Naruto jumped to his feet, screaming after him, but Sasuke was casually ignoring him, busily plucking Hinata's throwing stars from the tree trunks.

"W-What are you two doing here?" Hinata asked timidly, waiting for the flush in her cheeks to subside.

"Ah! That's right! We were looking for Sakura!" Naruto recalled.

Hinata's heart sank a little.

"She was supposed to meet us here on the training grounds, but we can't find her. Which is weird, you know, because Sakura is NEVER late."

The red in Hinata's cheeks disappeared, replaced by a look of concentration. She'd recalled seeing Sakura at the flower shop on her way over, picking out present for Sasuke's birthday. "N-Naruto-kun, I think Sakura-san is--"

"Here," Sasuke interrupted, handing out Hinata's throwing stars to her. Hinata hesitated before receiving them. Again, Neji's warning echoed in her ears.

"_I advise you not to get too close to the Uchiha."_

"Th-Thank you, Uchiha-san," Hinata thanked, and began picking the stars from his grasp. Just as she was about to take the last one, Sasuke drew his hand back.

"Your form is a little off," he noted. "If you want to secure the best angle, you should try adjusting your hold on the weapon." He made his way beside her, and Hinata edged to the side, giving him room. "Like this," he said, holding the star out in her direction so she could see exactly how he gripped the star. He then drew his arm back, preparing release the stars.

"Hey, Sasuke!" Naruto yelled. "We don't have time for this! Do you know how late we already are?! We have to find Sakura or--"

Sasuke turned his eyes on him, abruptly and darkly, flashing red with impatience. "Shut. Up."

Naruto clamped his mouth shut, as if on reflex, and Hinata stared at Sasuke with her eyebrows drawn together. She looked at Naruto and saw him bearing his teeth in agitation and anger. She didn't like it when he was upset, either.

"Pay attention!" Sasuke snapped at her.

Hinata jumped a little, straightening up, and placed her hands to her sides, nodding quickly for him to continue.

Sasuke thrust his hand forward and let the stars fly. They sailed in a straight line and embedded right into the target; dead center. "Oh! That was very good, Uchiha-san!" Hinata exclaimed.

Sasuke looked at her, the corner of his mouth twitching down as if trying to make a frown, but he rectified it and moved to the side, allowing her to take his place. Hinata did, wondering why Sasuke seemed so uptight all of a sudden.

The realization appeared out of nowhere.

"_Sasuke…call me Sasuke."_

"Oh," Hinata mumbled unconsciously.

"'Oh', what?" Sasuke and Naruto asked simultaneously.

"O-Oh, nothing!" Hinata stuttered, and gripped a single star in her hand. She shifted the rest to the other hand and tried to grip the single star just as she'd seen Sasuke do it.

"No, no, like this," Sasuke interrupted. He reached up to take her hand in his, positioning her fingers in the correct places. Hinata blushed profusely, but made no move to pull away. _His hand is so cold…_Hinata found herself thinking beneath all her embarrassment.

"Okay, now throw it just like I showed you," Sasuke said, almost reluctantly drawing his hand away. Hinata, allowing focus to drain the blush from her cheeks, copied Sasuke's demonstration and let the stars fly.

Hinata was astounded when the star hit the center right next to Sasuke's.

"Excellent," Sasuke commented, a hint of pride in his voice. "Now let's try again--"

"Sasuke-kuuuuuuuuuuun!!" called a perky voice from a distance. Everyone turned to see Sakura bounding toward them, pink hair fluttering in the wind. Her face was slightly flushed when she turned to Sasuke, but also jubilant as if pleased with herself for some reason.

"Sakura-chaan!" Naruto called back, his whisker-marked cheeks stretching up into a foxy grin. "Where _were_ you?!"

Sakura, huffing slightly from running so energetically, turned on him and said, "Not that it's any of _your_ business," she turned to Sasuke with a sweet smile, "but I had very important matters to deal with." Turning back to Naruto she asked accusingly, "Where were _you_?"

"We were looking for you," Sasuke answered, his voice taut with irritation. "You're late."

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Sasuke-kun!" Sakura apologized fervently. "But I told you I had something _really_ important to take care of. Anyways, Sensei is waiting for us at the other target site. We should definitely get going."

"Finally!" Naruto exclaimed. "I'll see ya later, Hinata-chan!" Naruto waved at her, then rushed off in all his over eagerness.

Sakura, noticing Hinata for the first time, looked in her direction and scowled at how close she was to Sasuke. "You too, Sasuke-kun," Sakura urged persistently, grabbing at his arm. "We need to be there before we get in trouble."

Sasuke snatched his arm back and said agitatedly, "He hasn't been waiting that long, so he can stand a few more minutes. I'll get there when I get there. Besides, _he's _the one who's always late."

"Sasuke-kuuun!" Sakura whined.

"Hurry and go," Sasuke snapped, "You are _so_ annoying."

Sakura flinched back, hurt plain in her eyes, and turned to leave after Naruto. "I-I'll just wait for you then, okay Sasuke?" she said, and walked away.

Sasuke breathed a sigh of relief and brushed his bangs back. He too, began making his way forward, and in doing so said quietly--yet determinedly--to Hinata, "Next time."

Hinata cocked her head to the side, then, when Sasuke began walking, she asked quickly and uncertainly, "Uchiha-sa--I mean S-Sasuke-san?"

"Yes?"

"W-When is your birthday…exactly?"

Sasuke looked at her from over his shoulder, mouth partly agape, but recovered quickly and glanced toward the sky thoughtfully. "Tomorrow, I guess," he responded casually, looking down again. "I'd forgotten. But how did--"

"That's terrible!" Hinata exclaimed suddenly. Her hands flew to her mouth then, as she had not meant to shout, then uncovered it, fumbling for an explanation. "I-I mean, you're birthday is special. I-It's the day someone you love gave birth to you and brought you into this world--to us. How could you forget it? I-It's a cause for celebration!"

Hinata blushed, feeling stupid, and bowed her head, allowing her bangs to his her eyes. When Sasuke had not spoken or moved, Hinata was forced to meet his eyes again.

Hinata stifled a gasp.

Sasuke Uchiha was smiling.

"Yes…if that's what you think," he said amusedly, and walked away.

Hinata stared after him, befuddled and confused. She glanced at the target board and saw Sasuke's star and her star embedded in the center right next to each other. She could hear Sasuke's voice still ringing in her mind.

"_Excellent."_

Hinata then allowed herself to smile and blush.

"A-A compliment," she giggled softly. Happily. "S-Someone actually complimented me!"


	6. Honored Guests

Honored Guests

6

//-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------//

When Hinata arrived at the manor she was more than surprised to find herself assaulted by maids.

"There you are, Hinata-sama!" they cried, ushering her into a dressing room. "We've been waiting for you! We need to hurry and prepare for tonight!"

"Wh-Why? What's happening?" Hinata asked in alarm.

"Your father is having very special dinner guests and he expects you and Hanabi to be present. You must hurry and change clothes!"

Ah, so that's what this was about. "Th-The Hokage?" Hinata guessed.

"Yes, and a few others."

A few others? Hinata couldn't help but wonder exactly who they could mean. She didn't have time to ask though, because they were much too busy exasperatingly switching through kimonos looking for the most appropriate attire. Hinata didn't really care which kimono they picked, and she could assemble the parts of one just as well as any of them, so their help wasn't really necessary. But it was only customary that an heir be assisted with her clothes. It was a bit annoying.

"I would like to wear the blue one over there with the cherry blossoms and purple vines," Hinata finally said amongst all their fussing and groaning.

"But that one is your mother's," one of them responded.

"I know," Hinata said with a smile.

The maids did not seem to argue against her choice--it matched her perfectly--so they hurried to assemble it for her. "My goodness, Hinata-sama!" Keiko, one of the older maids exclaimed. She had been Hinata's nanny for years. "You certainly have grown haven't you? Gosh, when did you get a chest?"

Hinata blushed profusely. "Do you have to be so blunt, Obaba?" Hinata cried in a fluster.

"Ah, and look at that! You even lost your stutter!"

"Wh-What?"

"Oh, never mind!" Her nanny laughed and returned to business. Hinata's hair and attire had been properly assembled within a number of minutes, so she was ready to go. Hanabi was already waiting for her when she stepped out of the room. Hinata's little sister was dressed in a silken purple Kimono with bamboo stems on it. She looked lovely.

"Are you ready, Neesan?" she asked. Her expression was one of dull excitement, as always, and her disposition was utterly calm and leveled. So much like father.

"Y-Yes, I am ready," Hinata answered, and together Obaba and another maid led them toward the dining room. It was customary that in situations like these, Hinata and Hanabi arrive at dinner together. Purely for show. Hinata didn't very much like it, but she'd gotten used to it.

The maids opened the doors to the dining room and Hinata and her sister entered, footsteps in sync with one another. "Hokage-sama," they greeted together, bowing their heads with smiles on their faces.

"Ah, Hinata and Hanabi! It is a pleasure a to see you again!" the Hokage greeted with fervor. Hinata's smile turned genuine when she saw him. The Hokage was one of the only people who were always kind to her no matter what. The wrinkles on his face were soft and kind, like that of an affectionate grandfather.

He sat next to the Hinata's father at the far end of the table. Hinata took a quick second to look around and noticed three other guests as well.

When she recognized who they were Hinata tried not to gasp and look horrified. There was only a slight change in her expression which she fixed right away, for the sake of her appearance, and gave them forced smiles.

Gaara was there, sitting to the left with his arms crossed. Across from him were his siblings who sat several seats away from the Hokage. There were other nins there too which Hinata did not recognize, and Hinata figured them to be body guards for the Hokage. Usually he came without them, but with Gaara present Hinata supposed they thought it was necessary.

They were probably right.

Hinata faintly remembered passing the three sand siblings on her way to the training grounds that day. Could they have been making their way to her manor?

"Gaara-san, Temari-san, Kankuro-san, these are my two daughters; Hanabi Huuga," Hanabi bowed when her name was called. "And our valued heir Hinata." Hinata, while recovering from inner shock, took a second or too longer to respond than she should have, which did not go unnoticed by Hiashi, and she bowed accordingly. When she looked up again she saw that Gaara was staring at her. His expression was as calm and unreadable as ever, but there was something about his fixed gaze that was different than normal. A fraction more intense, if put simply.

"Please take a seat, daughters," their father said welcomingly. It was the only time he ever sounded that way.

Hanabi and Hinata took a seat across from each other. Hanabi sat on the side of Gaara's siblings while Hinata herself took a seat next to Gaara. He didn't look at her at all when she sat.

The Hokage had taken the lead in conversation, discussing politics and problems with the world at large. The topics mostly revolved around Kohana and Suna, so Temari and Kankuro had the chance to jump in every now and then, but Gaara remained silent at all times.

Hinata's shoulders trembled slightly--very slightly--and she made sure to keep her attention directed to her plate. Gaara also had a dish in front of him which he did not touch. He didn't even look interested in it, and Hinata caught herself wondering if maybe he'd have preferred something else.

_I wonder what his favorite foods are? _She wondered, tilting her head slightly at his plate. _In fact, d-does he even eat?_

Gaara turned to her then, not all the way but enough to catch her attention. He looked her from the side of his eyes. Hinata stiffened her shoulders and glanced away, cheeks slightly heated.

"I must say," Gaara said quietly, although his voice was naturally quiet by nature. "This is a surprise. I knew you were a member of the Huuga clan, but I had no idea you were the _heir_."

Hinata dropped her shoulders, but made sure to keep them erect in the appropriate posture. "Y-Yes," she said in response. It was all she could think of. All she could say. Yes, she was the heir. Shame, but true.

Gaara looked away without interest, casting expressionless eyes upon the Hokage and his siblings, following their conversation with apparent boredom.

Hanabi eyed her sister from across the table, but said nothing. Hinata only met her eyes for a second, then returned to eating.

During the end of dinner when everyone's plates were cleared away, the Hokage addressed the real issues of his appearance, as well as the attendance of the other desert nin.

"I think it's about time we talked about the real issue at hand," the Hokage said in his gruff and serious voice. "Which leads me to the matter of why you three are in Kohana."

"Indeed," Temari responded.

Hinata sharpened every sense she had, listening intently to this part of the conversation.

"In order to partake in the tournament you three will be residing in The Leaf Village for a number of months, is that correct?" he asked.

"That's right," Kankuro replied.

"Yes, and in that time you three will be abiding by Kohana's laws and customs without causing trouble of any kind. To be quite frank, I am aware of your reputation in Suna and am obligated as Hokage to reassure the safety of my civilians. It is only proper that I regard your presence in our village as seriously and rationally as possible, you understand."

Temari dutifully answered to the Hokage's statement. "We do, and allow me to say that we are extremely grateful for your permission to partake in the Cross Academy Tournament. It is only natural for you to be concerned about our stay and maintaining a low profile goes without saying. We are only here to compete as representatives for Suna and nothing more."

"It is not so much your profile I am concerned about, but the villagers. All I ask is for you not to cause any trouble." The Hokage said this with a smile, tilting his hat downward while lighting the pipe sticking out of his mouth.

"We understand," Temari answered.

"And as honored guests of Kohana," the Hokage continued, casting a glance at Hinata's father. "We feel that it is only proper that we provide you with the surroundings fit for my liege's children. That is why my dear friend, leader of the Huuga clan, has agreed to shelter you for the remainder of your stay."

_Wh-What?! _Hinata cried inwardly. Her and her sister exchanged similar looks of shock, only Hinata's retained more of an expression of horror. She had heard nothing about this! And apparently neither had Hanabi.

"Let me say that I will be more than happy to have you," Hiashi said. "I only ask that you please abide by the rules which have been laid down and that you do not take advantage of your freedom."

"We accept all of your conditions," Temari responded with a smile. "And again, we thank you."

Little more was exchanged before it was time for the three sand nin to exit. The Hokage said he would stay and talk with Hiashi a bit more before taking his leave as well. Someone came to escort Gaara and his siblings to the exit and when Hinata saw who it was she widened her eyes in surprise.

"N-Neji-niisan?"

"Good evening, Hinata-sama," he greeted plainly. He turned to Hinata's father and the Hokage and bowed. "Hiashi-sama. Hokage-sama. It is a great pleasure to see you."

"As I am you, Neji," the Hokage said with a grin. "You've grown, boy. You look more and more like your father every time I see you."

Neji's mouth twitched before turning upwards into a half smile. "Thank you, Hokage-sama. Are our guests ready?"

"They are," Hiashi said, and turned to them. "Please have a nice evening. Everything will be ready for you in a number of days, so please bring whatever you have with you." Temari and Kankuro gave another thank you and headed out the door with Neji. Hinata and Hanabi were free to leave as well, and they bowed to the Hokage before exiting on their own.

"That Gaara didn't say much at dinner," Hanabi commented, walking side by side with Hinata to their rooms. Hinata said nothing. "But I know he's dangerous. I can tell."

Hinata remained silent, frowning slightly, and nodded in agreement.

Neji escorted the three sand nin all the way to the gates of the manor before letting them go on their own.

"Thanks, kid," Temari said, and ushered Kankuro along.

"I hear you will staying in the manor for a while," Neji said when Gaara began to follow. He directed his words at the red head rather than the three as a whole.

"That's right," Gaara responded.

"Know that is only because the Hokage needs someone to keep an eye on you while you're here. This whole courtesy thing is just a cover-up."

"And a weak one at that," Temari butted in. "You think we don't know?"

"Yeah, exactly how do you think it would have looked if we'd refused?" Kankuro interjected.

Neji ignored them, never waving his attention from Gaara. "Before you do anything, I want to know something," he said, narrowing his eyes. Though they were white as snow they burned with heated flames.

"What?" Gaara asked with patience, well aware of the threat in Neji's tone.

"I am Hinata's protector--her guardian--and have been so ever since childhood. If you have taken heed to anything you have been told to tonight, allow it to be this. If you hurt her, I will kill you."

Temari and Kankuro looked at Neji with disbelief. Someone was actually threatening Gaara? Most feared nin in all of Suna?

Gaara remained silent for a while, exchanging glares with Neji, then said in a low and equally threatening voice, "Then you'd better keep an eye on her."

He turned on his heels and weaved between his siblings, making his way down the road. Temari and Kankuro cast a skeptical glance at Neji, much like they had Hinata, and followed after their infamously dangerous little brother.


	7. Birthday Present

Birthday Present

7

//-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------//

When Sasuke awoke he was less than surprised to see wrapped gifts at the foot of his bed and cluttered on his nightstand. He had no idea at all how they did it, but even though he'd locked the door to his apartment and barred the windows shut, he still managed to find these things in his room on the mornings of his birthday. Sasuke threw the covers off without giving them a second glance and grabbed a towel on his way to the shower.

On this particular day Sasuke made sure to check twice whenever turning a corner, his doorway included. He felt a bit stupid, but girls were more dangerous on this day than on Valentines day. Thank God that wasn't for another year.

He wouldn't even have stepped outside his house at all today if not for the special plans his team had set up for him. Naruto was completely unwilling, of course, but Kakkashi and Sakura forced him to humor the situation. As sad as it was. Sakura, obviously, was overjoyed. If Sasuke didn't know any better he'd say it was _her_ birthday.

Sasuke, rather bravely, walked into the village without disguise, hands in his pockets and a scowl on his face. Maybe girls would ignore him if they thought he was in a foul mood this morning.

Wrong.

So wrong.

Girls of every kind and surprisingly of every age approached him with gifts, compliments, and unrequited/unwanted affections. After a while Sasuke found he had to sprint in order to reach his destination. This was absolutely absurd. Why did everyone have to be so stupid?

On his way there he saw a crowd of girls talking and yammering to each other, cluttered in groups, bragging about whatever gifts they were clutching to their chests.

_Dear God _Sasuke thought, inwardly rolling his eyes. Only on this day did they form in groups; waiting to assault him, rush him, attack him, carry him off. Ludicrous. Vicious absurdity. Unimaginable ridiculousness.

Sasuke hid behind the wall of a grocery store, contemplating the best way to handle the situation.

A hand suddenly grabbed his, yanking with impressive might, and dragged him off.

"Hey!" he shouted, but a flash of pink hair silenced him.

"Shh, Sasuke! Or they'll hear you!" Sakura whispered urgently.

Sasuke knew Sakura was no better then the rest of them, but he did trust her more. After all, she was his teammate. He allowed her to drag him along until they reached a shaded thicket of trees just off the road leading to the training grounds.

"Jeez, what is with all these girls today?" complained Sakura, rolling her thick pink locks over her knuckles. "You'd swear they were zoo animals rampaging on the loose."

"Hmph," Sasuke responded, jamming his hands into his pockets. "Are Kakkashi and Naruto ready yet? I just want to hurry and get this day over with."

"Oh, don't be like that, Sasuke!" Sakura whined. She grabbed onto his arm again, forcing his hand back out of his pocket, and he sighed impatiently. "This is a special day!" Sakura continued. "Be happy!"

"Because _that's_ so easy," Sasuke replied bitterly.

"Oh, Sasuke!" Sakura responded, half exasperated, half giddy. "Kakkashi and Naruto aren't going to be at the sushi bar until later this afternoon."

"What!" Sasuke exclaimed angrily. "I thought you said they were going to be there this morning!"

"Yeah, I know, but I fibbed." She made a purposely sugar-like apologetic face with her hands folded over one another to fake innocence. "I'm sorry, Sasuke, but I just wanted to spend the day with you. You will right? You're not angry, are you?"

'_Do I have to?' and 'you're lucky you're my teammate.'_

Sasuke sighed. "What do you want to do?" he asked reluctantly.

Sakura squealed. "Let's go out for a while. I've never had the opportunity to be alone with you and now I finally have the chance. Let's go do something fun!"

Sasuke suppressed a harsh groan. All he wanted to do was go off and train in solitude. But since when did he ever have such luck?

Sakura dragged Sasuke anywhere there weren't a group of savage girls, though he got a sneaking suspicion that she wanted to do just that—to show him off. This was stupid. He had so many other things he could be doing. And Sasuke, who was never one for having people come within a foot of him, had Sakura's hands all over him; pulling , tugging, and squeezing. She was just like a child. And he hated children.

When it was almost time to meet the others, Sakura took Sasuke and led him to the far side of the park, a ways away from anyone who would happen to walk by. Sasuke leaned against a tree and sighed, allowing the pent up annoyance to come leaking out. "Are we done yet?" he asked, half hopefu,l half defeated.

"Almost!" Sakura said, and pulled something small and rectangular out of a bag she'd been carrying around all day. Sasuke had noticed it but didn't bother to make a comment. "I want to give you your present, Sasuke. Before our time together is over."

_Swell.  
_

Sakura handed him the little book, which turned out to be an album, and he reluctantly slid it from her grasp. "Thanks," Sasuke muttered, and stepped away from the tree.

"Wait, wait! Aren't you going to look at it?"

"I just did."

"Not just the cover! The inside too! C'mon!"

Sasuke flipped open the book, eager to get everything over and done with, and skimmed over the pictures with dull interest.

"They're pictures of you and me," Sakura said proudly, but with a soothing gentleness.

"Yes, I see that," Sasuke replied. With each flip of a page he saw a picture of little Sakura or little him. There were quite a lot of them for such a small book. Sasuke couldn't help but wonder exactly when the hell she'd taken all these pictures. He didn't even have that many of himself. Was she…a stalker or something?

Gradually the photos changed from little kids, to bigger kids, to how they are now. They were all pictures of the two of them.

"Um…Sasuke?" Sakura said when Sasuke was finished skimming. He closed the cover without a thought and tucked it under his arm. "I have something I've…well…something that I've been waiting to tell you ever since I was little. Ever since the first photo in that book, as a matter of fact."

Sasuke arched an eyebrow at her, still maintaining a dull expression. Sakura was blushing. She looked down at her feet and rubbed her arms in embarrassment. Sasuke was getting annoyed. "What is it, Sakura?" he asked impatiently.

Sakura smiled bashfully, meeting his gaze with loving eyes, and said with all the sureness in the world, "I…I love you, Sasuke."

He didn't even have time to react before Sakura lifted herself up on the tips of her feet and planted a solid kiss on his lips. She drew away in half a second, smiling. "Ever since I was little," she whispered, and ran off. "I'll meet you at the sushi bar!" she called behind her, giggling.

Sasuke stared after her, bewildered. "I can't believe I didn't see _that_ coming," he whispered to himself, grazing the spikes of his hair back absentmindedly. _Bet she'd been waiting for that all week. _

Sasuke walked off in the opposite direction toward his house, fully intending to skip the birthday gathering with his team, and made his way through the middle of the park. Along the way he passed a number of benches. He waited until he found one with a waste basket beside it and dumped the photo album inside, swerving behind the bench in the passing.

As he was walking away he heard a rustling sound, like someone rummaging through the waste basket, but ignored it.

"S-Sasuke-san, what is this?" someone asked.

Sasuke spun around, thoroughly alarmed, and saw Hinata sitting alone on the bench, gazing at the photo album he'd just thrown away.

"H-Hinata?" he exclaimed. He hadn't even noticed her there!

When she began flipping through the album Sasuke dove to retrieve it. He snatched it from her hand and she flinched in surprise. "O-Oh! I'm so sorry, Sasuke-san! I didn't mean to—"

"This isn't what it—look, this was a present from Sakura, okay? That's all."

Hinata stared up at Sasuke, eyes wide with wonder, for she had never seen him so flustered, then smiled sweetly. "Yes, I thought so. They're great pictures of you two," she said. Sasuke relaxed and gave a passive glance at the cover. "Hmph," he replied through a snort.

"Y-You were so cute, Sasuke-san," Hinata commented with a blushing smile. She laughed quietly to herself as if she found this humorous. Sasuke sighed, smoothing the back of his hand across his cheek as if to rub away the escalating heat. "What are you doing here?" he asked as nonchalantly as possible.

"I, um…I was training earlier and decided to come here before going home. I-It's getting late and I want to be home on time today. I don't want to…to worry anyone by being tardy again."

"I see," Sasuke responded, recalling the night he'd saved her from Gaara.  
"Y-You were really going to throw that away?" Hinata asked timidly, pointing to Sakura's present.

"That's none of your business."

"I-I know, but…still, I think you should keep it. I-It seems like Sakura-san worked really hard on it. I can tell how much of her heart she put into those pages. D-Don't just throw it away. Even though you might never look at it again…you should have it some place where you can find it. Y-You never know. Photos are memories and memories are what shape us into who we are. Th-They should be cherished and honored."

Sasuke stared at Hinata in awe. She was smiling beautifully. Her hair was in slight disarray, causing a few stray locks to fall around her eyes, her cheeks were slightly flushed from training, and her irises were alight with unsparing kindness.

"Wh-Which reminds me, Sasuke-san," she said meekly. "I d-didn't get you anything for your birthday. I'm sorry. If you want I can—"

Without thinking Sasuke leaned down and swept the skin of his lips across hers. The movement was swift and soft, barely making contact, but it was enough to fling his heart into uncontrollable elation.

It was over before Hinata even had time to process what had happened, and when her head took a break from reeling, she saw Sasuke walking away, back in the direction he'd come from. "I have to go meet up with my idiot teammates," he said casually. "But thanks for the birthday present. Best one I've gotten all day."

**//****************************note from #2 from moi***********************//**

**I know there have been some concerns about the chuunin exams, so allow me to explain. In this story the chuunin exams don't exist. They're not going to happen. Instead there is something called the Cross Academy Tournament which is a competition between prestigious academies from each village. More will be explained in the actual story, so please be patient until then.**

**To those who have been reviewing, thank you very much. All these chapters were your doing, so be proud.**

**I appreciate and love absolutely everything it is you have to say, so I ask that you keep posting your comments.**

**Please keep supporting me no matter what. **


	8. Competing

Competing

8

//------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------//

The preliminaries were approaching faster than Hinata would have ever dreamed, and keeping up with her training was becoming more and more difficult by the hour. It only seemed like yesterday her father was calling her into his office, hounding her for not having yet signed up, and now here she was, struggling to get through the day with enough ache in her body to tell her she'd had a successful day of training.

The tournament was only two weeks away now, and Hinata questioned if she was ready. She looked herself up and down, reflecting on her training schedule, processing the sparring matches with Kiba and Shino, and assessing her progress of strength and wit.

No.

She wasn't.

Since there was only two weeks left, the school finally decided to assemble again, calling all students to their classes so that their sensei could explain the upcoming tournament as a whole. Classes had since been put on hold for half a month, giving students time to train without worrying about teachers, homework, or other assignments of that nature. Not that that meant Hinata was exempt. She still had her tutor at home waiting for her when the day was done.

Hinata knew it would be difficult to concentrate on Iruka-sensei's announcements today. She had forgotten how stressful the classroom was for her, since she had not been in class for weeks, but now that the students had assembled once more into one thick cluster of people, Hinata remembered why.

Sasuke Uchiha was there, sitting directly next to her, elbows resting on the desk with his chin sitting on his folded hands. "Good morning, Hinata," he'd said, and Hinata turned her face from him, face ablaze.

The only thing she could see when she looked at him was his lips. The very ones that had placed themselves to hers so many weeks ago in what some would call a…_kiss_. Hinata didn't know what he'd been thinking that day, but had she known he was going to steal her first kiss, she'd have indefinitely gone out of her way to get him an actual birthday present.

And not only that, but ever since that day he'd been calling her by her first name. Without any honorifics.

This was too much.

And not only did she have Sasuke to worry about, but every time she turned away from him Gaara was there, as he was now, sitting right next to her on the side opposite to Sasuke's.

Gaara stole glances at her sometimes, but never said anything. Still, Hinata felt as if he were watching her very closely, and this made her a nervous wreck. In the Huuga household he and his siblings were located in the upper section of the manor in a wing Neji had forbidden her to tread through, and every time she accidentally came to close to it he would be right there, leading her in the opposite direction.

Gaara had not caused any trouble so far, but guards in the Huuga manor were ever watchful of him, exactly as they had been on the first day, and this made Hinata uneasy. But that wasn't the only reason why.

It wasn't as if she could explain it, but somehow or another Hinata felt as if Gaara was…somehow following her, even though she was certain she was alone. She'd used the Byakugan once or twice to make sure he was where he was supposed to be, only to see that he was, and tried fruitlessly to shake off her senseless nagging paranoia.

Sasuke did not yet know about Gaara's stay at the Huuga manor, and Hinata wanted to keep it that way. It may have been presumptuous of her, but Hinata thought it best to keep him in the dark about it, for his reaction would not be something she'd want to deal with. It seemed that whenever Gaara got to close to Hinata, Sasuke would intervene, sometimes scowling and sometimes aloof. But either way, he--like Neji--was always there. She could only imagine how Sasuke would react when being told she and Gaara were living under the same roof.

Hinata disliked an angry Naruto, but an angry Sasuke was…frightening.

She tried not to fidget in her seat, so she kept her shoulders erect and hands folded. For the sake of mental stability she tried to focus all her thoughts on Naruto, who was sitting right below them next to Sakura and Ino. They had set their fears of Gaara aside just so they could be close to Sasuke, but since he was in a row occupied by Hinata and Gaara, they had to settle for sitting next to Naruto.

Which they didn't like, but Naruto hardly cared.

As long as he was…next to Sakura.

Hinata restrained a sigh, Yeah, a lot of good this was doing for her mental stability. She switched back to Sasuke. Hinata was surprised to see him glaring sideways in her direction. But he wasn't staring at her. He was focused on Gaara. His shoulders were slightly tensed as if expecting Gaara to lash out at something or start uprooting the desks. But Gaara merely sat there, ignoring the both of them, and concentrating on Iruka sensei who had finally entered the classroom.

"Good morning, everyone," he greeted with a smile they had not seen in ages. Naruto bounced out of his seat and shouted a vigorous greeting right back at him.

"Long time no see, Iruka-sensei!"

"Naruto, sit down!" Sakura hissed at him.

"God, why do I have to sit next to you two morons?" Ino complained, dropping her chin lazily in her hand. She, much like Sakura, wasn't a morning person.

"You sat here of your own free will, you stupid ugly pig!" Sakura snapped at her.

As the two of them began hissing insults at one another, with poor Naruto caught in the middle, Iruka commenced with his announcement.

"Alright class, as you all know the Cross Academy Tournament is coming up in two weeks. All classes have been called to a meeting so we could brief you on the rules, regulations, and other important matters which you need to know before the big day. For those of you who aren't 100% sure what the tournament is, allow me to explain."

"Every year the nation holds an event which we call the Cross Academy Tournament. At this tournament academies--not schools-- from all over the country compete against one another in an effort to increase their rank and honor. Each village has their own competition within their vicinity, then the victors move on to other schools in other districts. Each academy has five students that move on to upper ranks. The upcoming preliminaries in Kohana will determine which five students from our academy they will be. When the preliminaries are over and done with, the next competition will commence in two months, and that will be against other schools. When the two top schools are left, a grand tournament will be held in Kohana's Stadium where the remaining competitors will face off against one another."

Iruka-sensei went on to explain the rules of the tournament as well as the basics and the consequences for those who disregard the regulations. Hinata sat quietly, absorbing everything into her memory, but Gaara and Sasuke seemed to have other things on their minds. Sasuke stared past the teacher at the blackboard, as if contemplating something in his thoughts, and Gaara was staring at the teacher emotionlessly, as if not caring what he had to say. Hinata guessed that the two of them already knew all about the tournament, and so found it unnecessary to pay attention.

Naruto fidgeted in his seat as if excited, while Sakura and Ino stared attentively, turning to Naruto every now and then, scolding him to keep still.

"So to put it simply," Iruka concluded, "the preliminary matches coming up will be a competition with the students of this academy alone to determine who the top five ranking ninjas are. It is going to be held here in our tournament hall at 3:00pm on Thursday. Please train as hard as you can until then and make your academy proud. I have papers up in the front of the room with everything I've just told you, and if you want one you are free to take it. You are now dismissed. Have a nice day."

Everyone rose at once, eager to leave. Naruto leaped out of his seat, declaring to the whole world that he was going to start training right away. Sasuke took a quick step foreword in Gaara's direction and called for his arrention.

"Sabaku." His tone was hard and unfriendly.

Gaara turned around without alarm. "Yes?"

"This tournament…will you be competing for Konoha…or for Suna?"

Gaara took a moment to respond, as if choosing his words carefully. "The competition in Suna is already done and over with. I have exceeded the preliminaries in my village, as well as my siblings, so the three of us have come here to compete in the secondary matches. I will not be involved in this academy's preliminaries."

Sasuke, though keeping his cool, was obviously shocked by this information. Hinata, looking uncomfortable, edged toward the side, rounding Gaara and made her way towards the exit.

"How come it's only the three of you?" Hinata heard Sasuke ask.

There was as short and suspenseful silence before there was an answer. "Because no one else wanted to compete," Gaara responded with a dark smile in his voice. Hinata picked up her pace.

"Hinata!" Sasuke suddenly called after her, but she kept going, cheeks aflame from the sound of her name in his voice.

Sasuke made a move to follow after her, but Sakura grabbed his arm, holding him back. "Wait Sasuke, I want to talk to you!"

By the time Ino and Sakura began bickering over him Hinata was already halfway down the hallway.

_Two weeks…_she thought feverishly. _I only have two weeks to prepare. W-What do I do? Sh-Should I ask Neji to help me or…no. He would never. He hates me._

Hinata figured she should would go home to think things over. She had made her way into town quickly, and as she was rounding a corner someone grabbed her arm and pushed her into an alleyway. She was so shocked she couldn't form a complete sentence in her head, but when they emerged from the other end of the alleyway behind a store, Hinata saw all too clearly who it was.

"S-Sasuke san, wh-what are you doing?" she exclaimed.

Sasuke, slightly panting, held a firm grip on her arm and turned to face her. "Why did you run away?" he demanded with anger in his voice. Hinata shrank back.

"I-I didn't…I-I have to go home."

"No, you ran away."

"S-Sasuke-san, my arm." He was squeezing it roughly.

Sasuke widened his eyes, as if catching himself off guard, and dropped Hinata's arm. "Sorry," he apologized.

"I-It's okay…" Hinata mumbled, her face flushing. "Wh-What do you need?"

"I have to tell you something," he replied, taking a fierce step forward. His eyes were slightly wild with a tint of red swirling in them.

"Don't compete."

Hinata's mouth parted in shock. Her eyes boggled with bewilderment. "E-Excuse me?"

"You heard me. Don't compete."

"B-But I have to," Hinata protested in a tiny squeak.

"No you don't. You don't _have_ to do anything. And you don't have to participate in this tournament. Run away, fake and illness, I don't care what you do, just find a way out of it."

Hinata went rigid with silence. Why was he telling her this? She couldn't possibly be hearing what she thought she as hearing. Not compete? She couldn't just not compete. That was completely out of the question. She was heir to the Huuga throne, and running away from a fight was….

Inexcusable. And undoubtedly punishable. But even so…that's not why she wanted to compete. Yes, it was dangerous. Yes, she was a coward. Yes, she was weak. But one thing she wasn't was dishonorable.

"S-Sasuke-san…I'm competing."

Sasuke drew back, surprised by the seriousness and resolution in her tone. She was dead set.

"Hinata," he said, voice shaking out in a rough whisper. "You're not strong enough."

Hinata frowned at this. "Maybe not, but I will still try. I am sorry Sasuke-san."

"Are you doing this to prove yourself to your family, Hinata? To your father? You don't have to--"

"No, S-Sasuke-san. For myself."

Sasuke stared at her, clearly unhappy, but with a spark of pride and reverence. "I see," he said.

"I-I have to go, Sasuke-san. I will see you at the tournament."

But Sasuke didn't let her go. He grabbed her arm once more, only this time with more gentleness.

"You're really going to do this?" he asked in statement form.

Hinata nodded.

"Fine. Then tomorrow at 6.30am. Training grounds. Meet me there."


	9. To Protect

To Protect

9

//----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------//

For some reason Hinata was nervous. She had agreed to meet Sasuke at the training grounds this morning only yesterday, and she had felt fine then, aside from a little confusion, so why the sudden change now? There was a sickening flutter inside her chest that was just as likely to form a smile than it was to form a frown, and Hinata could not place a name on it. Whenever she thought of Sasuke this was what she felt. It didn't start until he…planted that half-kiss on her a few days ago, but at the time all she'd felt was wild shock and disbelief. The resulting feeling afterwards was this, and Hinata did not know how to react to it.

She was busy in the kitchen, packing a lunch since her training would most likely carry her through the entire day like it always did, whether she had a partner or not, and since Sasuke ate like a…_guy_, then Hinata was certain she'd have to pack extra today. The stove was hot in comparison with the warm weather, so she tried her best to stand as far from it as possible while still being able to cook. It surprised her when a shiver ran up her spine.

She turned around.

"G-Gaara-san!" she exclaimed, nearly dropping a bag of chilled shrimp. Gaara was standing in the entrance, arms crossed, leaning against the door frame while staring at her. His expression was of bleak interest, but he did not--somehow--look as frightening or unfriendly as he usually did. Perhaps because his eyes weren't shaped in a fierce glare as they always were. They were a tiny bit different.

"Y-You're up early!" Hinata squeaked.

Gaara removed himself from the door frame and took a few steps inside the kitchen, eyeing whatever it was Hinata was cooking--it looked like fried shrimp--with dull interest, or rather, plain disinterest. "I do not sleep," Gaara told her, bringing his attention forward.

"Huh? What do you mean?" Hinata asked, drawing her eyebrows together. _He doesn't sleep…?_

"_He_ prevents my mind from coming to rest when night falls."

Hinata cocked her head to the side slightly. "'He?'"

"Shukaku."

Hinata erected her neck, straightening her posture. She had never heard of _Shukaku_ before, but the decrease in bass in Gaara's voice as well as the edge and blatant loathing indicated how terrible it must be. And how heavy a matter it was.

"The Shukaku is a sand demon, alchemized from the ashes of a monk, once used for the purpose of protecting the village--Suna--but the resulting efforts were nothing at all what they--my father--intended. Me."

Hinata did not know what to think of this. Still, as a reflex she widened her eyes, searching for more answers in his expression until he continued.

"The Shukaku lives inside of me, beyond the barriers of my mind, and prevents me from ever falling into mundane slumber. If I do he comes forth, eating at my own sanity so he can fully terrorize my being, manipulating me as he pleases, and the only thing that prevents him from doing so is my will. Something which one is absent of during sleep."

After remaining silent for a time Hinata gazed down at the floor, trying to comprehend his words. "S-Sand demon…but how--"

"My father."

Hinata blanched. "Your father?"

"He's the one who had the Shukaku planted inside of me--before my birth even--which resulted in the death of my mother. Before dying she cursed me, or more accurately, the entire village, using me as an outlet for that hatred." Gaara's voice was low and rough, but calm and steady. There was a nearly impossible trace of eagerness in his tone as well, as if he'd been waiting for so long to tell someone this dark and nearly unbelievable story. A desire to share his past.

"Do you see now?" he asked darkly. "Why I am so…monstrous? Why my siblings and I have to stay here, to be watched and observed? Why the Hokage and even your father are going through such extreme lengths to keep surveillance on me?"

"I…" Hinata looked down. She knew the Hokage and her father were keeping close tabs on Gaara, but she'd never really known why or how dangerous he was. "It must be very lonely," she said. This was an accident, but strangely enough, it was all she could think of to say. Gaara raised his head a little more, looking directly into her eyes as if he might find something there.

"W-What I mean to say is, that i-if I had been infused with a demon…by my own father, hated and feared to such a degree…I would feel very lonely. How…how does one come to understand you under such circumstances? It…it must be very awful."

Gaara stared at her intensely, saying nothing, but when he finally spoke he said with a milder tone than usual, "So…is this something one would call _pity_?" Gaara's tone as not bitter or spiteful, but curious.

Hinata parted her mouth in surprise. Yes…there was pity there, but there was also something bigger. Relevance. After all, she was lonely too.

"You are training with the Uchiha today, are you not?" Gaara asked suddenly.

"W-What?" Hinata tried to keep from gasping in surprise. "H-How do you know that?"

"He is like me," Gaara noted, ignoring her question. "He fears nothing, hates everything, and loves no one. Do not think that you are any different, or that you can change him. He bears the eyes of one who has been tortured in the past, severely wronged, and undoubtedly betrayed. He has an ache in his heart, an ache which I am all too familiar with and would recognize it immediately when I saw it. He aches to _kill_."

This time Hinata did gasp, eyes shining with fear.

"Do not allow yourself to get too close to him, girl," he advised lowly, turning to go. "For an avenger has no time for love."

Sasuke was there leaning against a target post, tossing a kunai in the air while gazing out over the woods. When Hinata approached she was certain he hand't noticed her, but when she opened her mouth to announce her presence he beat her to it. "Glad you could make it," he said, and put one hand in his pocket. He walked over to her slowly.

"But you are late."

"Y-Yes. I'm sorry, I was talk--" she stopped herself, choosing a different route of explanation. "I was making us lunch. B-But it seems as if you are early."

"Yes, I'm an early riser," he replied dismissively. "Are you ready?"

"Yes."

Sasuke told Hinata that he had a meeting with his team that day, and so the number of hours they were able to train would be scarce, even though he had Kakashi's approval to be late. Unlike training for a full day, they only had six or seven hours. Still, this was enough time to at least teach Hinata the basics of weapon handling.

Sasuke coached Hinata in throwing weapons at certain targets and distances, much like he had with the throwing star a while back, and just like that time, Hinata adapted quickly. She was a Hyuuga after all, and Hyuuga's were naturally adept to fighting. From their short hours together Sasuke could see, however, that even though she possessed a quick wit and a talent for immediate comprehension, she did not retain the spirit of a true warrior.

The spirit of a warrior is a spirit eager to put their blade to the test. Hinata was not like this. She was a meek and kind individual, a rarity amongst humans in all her purity and thoughtfulness. He didn't think Hinata would ever really be capable of purposely causing harm to another, which brought into question why she was even a ninja in the first place.

Then he remembered her background.

The Hyuga clan was composed of nothing but formal stiffs heavily immersed in their desperation for honor and status. But Hinata was different than the rest of them. Extremely different. She was her own person whom inwardly detested the Hyuga attitude--he could tell--and though she was obligated to strive for the Hyuga persona, she never allowed it to consume her.

Not only because she couldn't, but because she wouldn't.

Sasuke, even though he valued the strength and collectedness of a warrior, found this to be extremely admirable. He liked it. It suited her.

But the fact that she was forced to act a certain way, to compete in a risky environment when she shouldn't have to, made him…angry. Furious, to say the least, and even though Hinata had said she would compete no matter what, that did not mean Sasuke had given up on trying to loop a way out of it.

For reasons he couldn't explain, he was concerned for her wellbeing. Obsessively so, if he was being honest with himself.

Hinata and Sasuke stopped for lunch after a few hours, and Sasuke consumed everything handed to him exactly as he had done last time, only giving Hinata a single short compliment on her cooking. Still, any compliment from Sasuke Uchiha was worth ten from another. Not because of his status or desirability--that had nothing to do with it--but because he never complimented anyone ever. Not even his own teammates.

After lunch they resumed training, this time going over the basics of evasion and stealth. Hinata, who had been nervous before, found at some point that she was actually having…fun. Training with Sasuke was _fun_, and when thinking of future sessions under his care, became eager and excited.

When their six hours was over, going on seven, Sasuke called it a day.

"That's enough," he said. "You did well, though you still need to work on your footing a bit. Your Byakugan should help immensely with your dodging abilities, but it hardly means anything if you're not quick enough. However, a good offense is a good defense. I'm sure that if you practice that you'll be well enough for the preliminaries."

"Th-Thank you, Sasuke-san," Hinata said with a thankful smile. "You're a great sensei."

Sasuke looked at her with a somewhat unexpected look, but composed himself quickly and said, "It's not a big deal. Thanks anyway, though. And about tomorrow, we'll have to start earlier than we did today. Though Kakashi is allowing me to be late today, I won't have the same luxury tomorrow, so you cannot be late again."

"Y-Yes, I'm sorry. I just got caught up this morning talking to Gaara-san, so--"

_Oops._

"What?" Sasuke snapped before Hinata even had time to regret her little slip-up.

"U-Um, well I--"

"Gaara? Did you meet him on the way here or did he follow you?" Sasuke demanded intensely. Hinata fidgeted, flustered and afraid. She was never one for telling lies, so she doubted they would work now. Especially on Sasuke. "A-Actually, Gaara-san is staying…with m--us--at the H-Hyuga…m-manor…"

"What!" Sasuke shouted. "Is your father out of his mind?" he took a violent step forward, jabbing his foot into the ground, gritting his teeth in anger.

"I'll have to ask you to take a step back, Uchiha," someone said. Both Hinata and Sasuke spun and saw Neji coming up from behind Hinata. He came to stand in front of her, facing Sasuke with cold, white eyes.

"Neji Hyuga?" Sasuke recalled, tone steely and rough with anger.

"Yes, I am Hinata's cousin. I've come to retrieve her at the request of her father, not that it's any of your business, so I'm afraid I'll have to cut your time short. If you'll excuse us--"

"I don't think so," Sasuke interrupted, coming from around his side to push Hinata behind him. "Just what the hell are the Hyuga's thinking, bringing someone like Gaara into their own house? Are they suicidal?"

Sasuke was directing all of his anger at Neji, despite having just met him, and even seemed as if he were accusing him of the Hyuga's inexcusable behavior.

"Insult my clan one more time and it'll be your last," Neji threatened. "And the reason behind Gaara Sabaku's stay is no concern of yours, so kindly step aside before I _make_ you."

He turned his attention towards Hinata. "Hinata-sama, enough of this foolishness. Come with me."

"No," Sasuke protested dangerously, holding Hinata behind him. "She will not go back to that house while Sabaku is there."

Neji looked at Sasuke in something resembling shock.

"And what do you intend to do about it, Uchiha? You think you honestly have the power to make some sort of difference? Exactly what influence do you think you can have when I myself have _none_? I protested Gaara's stay from the beginning, but the Hyuga's do as they please. Now I'm going to ask you one time, and one time only. Take your hands _off_ my cousin."

Hinata rarely ever heard Neji speak this way--so impatient and threatening, and it alarmed and frightened her.

"She's not going back." Sasuke's tone was final; unwavering. He glared at Neji with both anger and alertness, as if expecting him to attack.

"Very well," Neji replied levelly, his voice cold and sharp. He raised his hands as if preparing for battle, and Hinata had no choice but to step between them.

"S-Stop," she intervened, taking a quick and desperate glance at Neji before facing Sasuke. "I-It's pointless to fight over something like this. I-I am going home, Sasuke-san, I'm sorry. G-Gaara-san hasn't really b-been a problem since he and his siblings moved in, and I don't think he'll do anything while my f-father and Hokage-sama have such a keen watch on him. I-I think I'll be just fine."

"You can't know that," Sasuke argued, looking down on her with hard eyes. "Gaara is dangerous, Hinata. He can't be trusted."

"E-Even so, where else would I possibly have to go, Sasuke-san?"

"You could stay with me."

Both Hinata and Sasuke reacted to that one. Hinata flinched, staring at him as if she had heard wrong, and Sasuke, trying to keep his face stern, still looked for all the world as if he had let that suggestion slip completely by accident.

"I don't think that would be appropriate, Uchiha," Neji responded from behind them, sounding deadly angry. "Hinata-sama stays in her own house under _my _watch. I am her guardian and I _will_ protect her without fail. Do not interfere."

"If you think you can," Sasuke said, turning his attention to Neji, "than I have no choice but to trust you. But believe me, if looks like you won't be able to handle the job, I will have no choice but to do what I see fit." He said the last words slowly and with harsh emphasis.

Sasuke took a fleeting glance at Hinata and wove his way around the two of them, heading for another section of the training grounds where his team was suppose to meet.

"5:30, Hinata," Sasuke called behind him without turning his head. "Be there early."


	10. Progress

Progress

10

//--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------//

Sasuke would have loved to ditch his teammates to brush up his training with Hinata; the more prepared she was the better, but doing so was impossible. Kakashi always kept a close watch on him, stealing glances at Sasuke over his mask as if anticipating his attempts to escape. As he and his teammates trained together, everyone could tell how impatient and irritated he was. Even Naruto, who found Sasuke's foul mood to be quite entertaining.

It goes without saying that when the two of them sparred, Sasuke really let him have it.

"That's what you get for being such a smart-aleck," Sakura would sigh at Naruto's limp and beaten form, shaking her head with both hands resting on her hips. As for Sakura herself, Sasuke ignored her completely, as she was not worth the time, and Kakashi simply got on his nerves despite hardly saying anything. But his mentor spoke clearly with his eyes, warning Sasuke to stay put, to focus on training, and to stop being such an asshole to his teammates…he could say all of that with just one look of his eye. Every time one of these messages was relayed to him, Sasuke would scowl as a response, but do as he was expected to.

Sasuke had assigned a place and time of meeting for he and Hinata after the day with their teams came to an end. He always made it there first because Hinata had training to do too, but it was strange how even on her days off she would arrive much later than on her team days.

Today was no exception. Sasuke stood facing a target board, staring into the center while tossing a Kunai in the air. As he pulled his arm back to let the weapon sail, he caught a figure running at him from the side of his eyes. Immediately he turned and saw Hinata making her way toward him, sweat beads running down the side of her head with her hair slightly ruffled as if the wind had been harassing it all day.

All in all, she looked utterly _worn. _

Sasuke raised and eyebrow at her when she approached, crouching over and panting apologies. "S-Sorry I'm late!" she huffed.

"_Why_ are you late?" Sasuke asked. Hinata didn't seem like one to dally, so this made Sasuke curious as to why she was always tardy. "Isn't today your day off?"

Hinata took a deep breath to collect herself, then exhaled, standing up straight to look him in the eyes. "I was training with Niisan," she explained.

"What?" Sasuke replied in puzzlement. "You have an older brother?"

"Oh no, I mean Neji-niisan. H-He's my cousin, remember? Ever since childhood I-I've called him Niisan…"

"Oh, the other Hyuga," Sasuke said without caring, despite the singe in his chest. Hinata had know Neji ever since childhood, not to mention she cared about the boy enough to where she would refer to him as her 'brother'…

"When did you two start training?" Sasuke asked as casually as possible.

"U-Um…a-about the time you two met each other. I-I don't think he likes it very much that you're training me…" Hinata looked down as she said this, creasing her forehead with worry wrinkles.

"What an understatement," Sasuke snorted. "He probably _hates_ it."

Hinata looked up at him in surprise. "Wh-What do you mean?"

"Nothing. Let's get started."

Hinata had questions swimming behind her eyes, but said nothing.

The tournament was only two days away, but in the short amount of time Sasuke and Hinata had been training, he felt as if she'd improved quite a lot. He was proud of her. Still, she was no match for Neji or Gaara, but hopefully she would never have to face either of them.

Gaara would not be competing in the preliminaries, like he'd said, but afterwards it was anyone's guess as to who would be squaring off against who. Sasuke hoped that in the secondary matches he would be pitted against Gaara; not only for the sake of Hinata, but for his pleasure as well. To fight someone so powerful would be…thrilling.

Sasuke and Hinata had progressed from throwing weapons to sparring. Sasuke was much quicker than Hinata, but little by little she was gaining the speed needed to assist her Byakugan. She had a very long way to go, but at least she was improving. Sasuke himself learned things during their sparring matches as well. The Hyugas were a strange clan--much like the Uchihas--with a unique and impressive fighting style. If there was ever a time when Neji and Sasuke were to fight each other, Sasuke was fairly certain he would do well against him because of his training days with Hinata.

"Let's stop," Sasuke said after a while. Hinata was breathing quickly, sweating from the heat and exertion of strength. Sasuke was too, but not more so than Hinata. If Sasuke recalled correctly, she had been training with that smart-ass cousin of hers earlier.

"W-We're stopping? Already?" Hinata complained. Or something like it. Hinata was never one to complain.

"Yeah," Sasuke answered, cricking his shoulder joint. "You're tired. You've put in your hours of training for today. You don't need to work anymore."

"B-But--"

"Take a break, Hinata," Sasuke advised seriously, turning to her with soft, yet hard eyes. "Train too much and you collapse from chakra depletion. If that happens you won't be ready for the competition. I want you to take tomorrow off too."

Hinata didn't argue. Rarely did she ever, but Sasuke could see the protest in her eyes when he told her this. She was more determined than he would have ever thought a girl like her to be, and it both surprised and pleased him. Determination makes for a fantastic pupil.

Sasuke went to pluck their throwing stars from the targets and put them away in his bag which lay next to a tree. As he was doing so he looked over his shoulder at Hinata to see her staring at the ground, eyebrows creased with unspoken concern. She then directed that look at him, accidentally or not, and Sasuke straightened up.

He hated it when she gave him that look. He turned his head away from her and sighed. "What is it?" he asked, plopping down on the grass. The shade was cool and comforting, so he motioned for Hinata to take a seat next to him. She walked over, but sat rather far away. This unnerved him, as she was always reluctant to get too close to him despite all the time they'd spent together, but he ignored it. Hinata was a shy girl by nature, so it wasn't a big deal that she acted this way. She'd get over it one day…

"I-I'm worried…" she said, eyes drifting to her pale hands which lay folded over her lap.

Sasuke reached in his bag and pulled out a bottle of water. He handed to her and asked, "About what?"

_Certainly not me…_he thought with a number of mixed emotions. _Probably about her cousin or something…_

"A-About Naruto-kun…" she answered, reaching out to grab the water bottle. She drew her hand back when Sasuke squeezed the bottle too tight and the lid popped off. Droplets of water sprayed across her lap and his. "Ah, sorry," Sasuke apologized with a twitch of his eyebrow. He placed the dented water bottle beside him and propped it up against the tree, reaching in his bag for a clean rag. He gave it to Hinata and wiped his own lap with his hands, not that it had much of an effect.

"Why are you worried about the idiot?" he asked, hiding the annoyance in his voice. "He can take care of himself." _Probably._

"W-Well I…" Hinata didn't wipe her pants with the rag, but instead twisted it through her fists. It seemed as if Sasuke's reaction had startled her. Or so he thought before her cheeks started turning red. Sasuke clenched the back of his teeth together to keep from baring them.

"I-I know Naruto has gotten strong since he first became a ninja at the academy, and I hardly have any idea of how much he's improved since then, but…I-I am still worried for him. I don't want Naruto to get…" she let go of the rag to cup her blushing cheeks in her palms. "hurt…" she whispered. "I, um…care very much for Naruto-kun, so…"

Sasuke looked away from her. He didn't want her to see the…murderous expression on his face if she just so happened to look up. "Is that right?" he said levelly. "Well…Naruto has gotten stronger over the past few months. I'm sure he'll do just fine." _Unless he goes against _me_ of course._

"Do you think so, Sasuke-san? What if--"

"Just worry about yourself, Hinata," Sasuke advised sharply, cutting into her sentence. He would hear no more of this. "Just concentrate on preparing for the tournament, physically and mentally. The chances of you being hurt are just as great as his is," he stopped short to consider this and twisted his mouth into a frown, but continued. "And if you can you should make more of that healing cream. It works well."

This was true. Hinata had toiled away weeks and months of her life learning how to make homemade healing ointments and remedies. She had told him this herself. Hinata was a healer by nature, not a fighter, and she was great at it without even knowing how to use the proper jutsus. Sasuke himself had four or five small containers of her healing creams and balms. She happily made them at his request, because she knew she was good at it and she liked making them, not to mention they had great use.

"S-So we're really not going to train any more today…?" Hinata asked meekly, happy to be switching subjects.

Sasuke leaned against the tree and closed his eyes. He drew a knee up at an angle and crossed his arm over it comfortably. "No," he answered. "The day is almost over anyway. It's best if we just relax."

"A-Alright, I guess that means I'll be going then," Hinata said, reaching around her for her own things.

Sasuke's eyes flew open. "Why do you have to go?" he demanded, breaking his comfortable posture.

"W-Well we're not training anymore today so…I thought…that I would go…" Hinata stood and crossed the straps of her knapsack over her shoulder.

Sasuke looked away from her towards the descending sun, squinting his eyes at the colors they produced. Apparently the only reason Hinata ever wanted to be around him was when they were training. Other than that, there was no purpose in their being together…

"Have you eaten yet?" Sasuke asked suddenly, taking the bruised water bottle and dumping the remaining contents on the ground.

Hinata shook her head. "N-No, I haven't. I was too busy this morning to make lunch. I'm sorry, Sasuke. I should have made time to--"

"I'll take you somewhere," he offered, grabbing his bag and crossing the straps around his chest.

"N-No, you don't have to--"

"You've treated me to lunch every day for the past two weeks. The least I could do is offer you dinner, even if it is a bit early."

"B-But…"

"Let's go."

Sasuke stepped away from the tree, making steady advances toward the Village, but when he found that Hinata was not following him he turned to her, exactly as he had the first day they had lunch together on the roof. "Come," he said.

But Hinata didn't hesitate like she'd done that time.

"Hai!" she nodded with a tiny smile, and strode to his side.


	11. Favorites

Favorites

11

//---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------//

It was a strange feeling, walking with her like this. Sasuke tried not to look at Hinata as they went along, but sometimes he couldn't help it. From time to time she would look his way, staring at something the local kids were doing, gazing over at the lovely flowers displayed in shop windows, or observing the smiling faces of nearby villagers which in turn made her smile as well. An irresistible smile…

Hinata rarely ever smiled, Sasuke noticed, despite the fact that she was so absent of hate. You'd think someone such as her would be happier…because she deserved it…but because of her family she's been forced into the life of a shinobi. Sasuke would have liked it if Hinata was able to choose her own path, to be the person she wanted to be without having to fight ever.

Though Sasuke was proud of Hinata for improving so much, he still did not like that she had to fight. Granted the Hyuga had talent--far too much to let go to waste--but surely there were others ways she could use it instead of having to wound and kill others? Looking at her now Sasuke was stricken by how fragile she looked and how fragile she really was.

Her shoulders…so small…and that face…those eyes…her small hands. Sasuke opened his palm and looked at it, comparing sizes. Yes…his was bigger, and they would continue to get bigger, but what about Hinata? Wouldn't she always have such little hands?

Sasuke thought about those pale, fragile hands curling into fists during battle and he frowned.

"What is it, Sasuke-san?" Hinata asked with concern. "Y-You're so quiet. If you don't want to…if you're doing this just because you feel a-as if you owe me, please--"

"That's not why," Sasuke said immediately. He didn't look at her when he said this, only stared ahead of him as he walked.

"O-Oh…okay then. But where would you like to eat?"

"Actually I was hoping you'd pick. This is something I'm doing for you, after all."

Hinata turned away from him, hiding her face, and Sasuke resisted the urge to round his head curiously to see her expression. "U-Um…"

"Is something the matter?" Sasuke couldn't help but ask.

"N-No…it's just…" she looked at him and smiled with a crease in her forehead. "No one ever just…does things for me…"

Something inside Sasuke's chest wrenched, but he didn't stop to consider the cause. "But you're the heir to the Hyuga throne. Aren't you, y'know, catered to and all that?"

Hinata shook her head delicately. "No…if I were a regular heir than yes, but I-I am a shinobi, so…"

Ah, that's right. A shinobi must never be catered to. One who had chosen…or fallen into the role of a ninja must always learn things the hard way. "What about your…'niisan'?" Sasuke asked with a sneer.

Again Hinata shook her head. "No, niisan…he doesn't…well he…"

"Yeah?" Sasuke pressed with curiosity.

"Niisan hates me."

This caught Sasuke's firm attention. "What do you mean?" he demanded. Surely she must be talking about a different 'niisan'. Though Neji certainly didn't seem like the friendliest person in the world, he didn't seem like he hated Hinata either. The Hyuga had said he was her guardian who had a duty to protect her, but going out of his way to such an extent for something such as this? His protectiveness, even in Sasuke's eyes, seemed a little overbearing for someone who was just performing a duty.

"I-It's a lot to explain…" Hinata said.

"I have plenty of time," Sasuke said, very much intrigued.

He hated to admit it, but it bothered Sasuke that he knew so little of Hinata. They did talk some after their sparring matches, but he never inquired about her family nor she his, not that he wanted that, but he disliked it that she never told him anything at all.

But Hinata and he were a lot alike that way. Listeners and not talkers.

But he wanted her to talk.

"We'll grab something and we'll go somewhere," he suggested. "Or do you want to stay in a--"

"N-No, what you said is fine," Hinata agreed.

"What do you like to eat, Hinata?" he asked. Another question he surprisingly found absurd interest in.

"U-Um…" Hinata thought for a moment. "Cinnamon rolls…" she said. "I love cinnamon rolls. I make them all the time."

Sasuke took note of that and said in a somewhat amused manner, "I don't think people usually eat cinnamon rolls for dinner, but if you want…"

"O-Oh, haha, sorry," Hinata said flushing. "I like…well…."

Sasuke shook his head, resisting the urge to smirk in amusement, and said, "Okay, maybe it's just easier to tell me what you don't like."

Hinata took less time to answer this question. "I…I don't like crab or eel."

"You don't like crab?" Sasuke asked surprised. "Strange. I was under the impression everyone liked crab."

"Does that mean you like crab, Sasuke-san?"

"Well…I suppose," he said, caught a little off guard. "I'll eat it if it's there but I don't go out of my way for it. Eel is better."

"Oh. Well what foods are your favorite then?"

Sasuke, much like Hinata, had to think hard about that question. Sasuke did like to eat a lot, but he never really valued food for the flavor. The iron and protein are what he cared about, because they helped with his training, but thinking of foods as something one should enjoy because of the flavor never really crossed his mind. All the time he would eat tomatoes, he had so many crammed within the bottom section of his refrigerator, but only because they were good for him. In fact, he wasn't even sure if he liked tomatoes.

"If I had to call it anything…" Sasuke said after a long process of elimination, "I would say riceballs."

"Really?" Hinata replied with polite curiosity. "What kind of filling?"

"Bonito."

"I-I see." Hinata smiled. "I always make my riceballs with bonito."

"I know. I loved them," Sasuke said without hesitation.

Hinata looked at him in surprise, blushing at his instantaneous remark. Sasuke himself was surprised by what he'd said and he stopped to consider this. He...'loved' them…? Yes…that was very true. Hinata's riceballs were fantastic. Sasuke made them all the time too, but they weren't as good as Hinata's, not even close. And it was strange to him that he'd said the word 'love' to describe it. Sasuke never used the word 'love' for anything…or anyone.

"Anyway, we got off track didn't we?" he said. "We're supposed to be looking for something to eat."

Hinata giggled. "I'm sorry, that was my fault wasn't it?"

"It's fine," Sasuke reassured with calmness. "I'm in no rush." And he really wasn't. It didn't matter to him whether he ate anything or not, but he wanted Hinata to pick something. He'd promised her dinner.

"W-We could go to the ramen sho--"

"No," Sasuke said immediately.

"Wh-Why?" Hinata asked, surprised by his abruptness.

_Because we might run into the idiot, _Sasuke answered internally. "I had ramen today already and I want something different."

"O-Oh…"

"Are…you in the mood for noodles?" Sasuke asked, feeling a bit guilty that he'd shot her down so quick. It was only a second after that he remembered that _he_ was the one to ask _her_ what she wanted to eat.

"Yes," Hinata said, perking up. Sasuke was relieved. He guessed Hinata didn't mind rude behavior. In fact, being around her stiff-ass cousin may have made her impervious to it by now.

"What kind of noodles do you want?" Sasuke asked. "Fried or stewed?"

"F-Fried," Hinata answered. "With shrimp and peppers."

"That sounds nice, actually," Sasuke said, considering--for the first time--the flavor. "I want mine with peppers and egg."

"You can have it with tomatoes too," Hinata added. "People usually do."

"No," Sasuke responded casually. "I don't like tomatoes."

***-*-*-*-*-*-***

Night had fallen by the time the two found a good enough place to eat. The moon was shining and full which made for livelier streets and in turn, more crowded shops and restaurants. "Great," Sasuke muttered, glaring at the throng of people cluttering outside the outdoor noodle shop.

"Um, we don't have to eat here," Hinata said. We can always just--"

"No," Sasuke cut her off. "You wanted fried noodles so I'm getting you fried noodles."

"S-Sasuke-san…" Hinata whispered.

"You don't have to wait with me," he said. "Go find someplace to sit and I'll come and find you."

"No," Hinata shook her head. Sasuke seemed surprised by this. "I want to wait here with you," she told him.

"Why? Look, there are seats over there. You can save one for me, okay?"

Hinata glanced to where Sasuke's head inclined and frowned. Sasuke could see Hinata felt bad about making him wait by himself--it was so like her--but really he didn't mind. Along with knowledge and skill, patience was a trait shinobis learned at a young age. "Really, it's fine," Sasuke assured her.

Hinata nodded and left his side.

Why, suddenly, when she distanced herself did he fell so tense? Something in his joints twitched and the air about him suddenly went uncomfortable. It made him anxious. Sasuke tried not to look at Hinata because if she saw him looking her way she might come back to ask what was wrong.

For a number of several long minutes Sasuke waited for the shop to clear, avoiding looking in Hinata's direction the whole time.

Too bad he should have been.

In an instant everyone stilled and quiet fell over the area followed by low, urgent whispers and confused remarks.

The ground was beginning to shake and the plates on the outside tables were beginning to rattle.

_What the hell is going on? _Sasuke thought in alarm.

The rumbling stopped for half a second, confusing the villagers even more, when a thunderous booming explosion sounded in the distance.

Screams erupted from everywhere. People started running, mothers grabbed their children, and couples darted into the streets, hand in hand.

"The village is under attack!" Someone yelled from the road. It was a guard, ushering people into their houses and away from the shops. "Get to safety!" He shouted. "All ninja and genin report to the academy at once! At _once_!"

"Shit," Sasuke cursed furiously under his breath. Abruptly he whirled to Hinata, ready to take her hand and run. "Hina--"

But the seats were completely empty.

Hinata…she was gone.


	12. Frenzy

Frenzy

12

//-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------//

"Whoa whoa woah, what is going on?!" Naruto cried in a frenzy, ducking and dodging panicking villagers running through the streets. He'd just finished his last bowl of ramen at Ichiraku's Ramen Shop only minutes before all hell broke loose, and now he couldn't even order another one! Beyond the chaos he could hear a deep voice shout with authority, "To the academy! All ninja and genin report to the academy! Villagers get to your homes immediately! The village is under attack!"

"Under attack?" Naruto exclaimed. "Crap!" He adjusted his forehead protector on reflex and zoomed in between a crowd of people, bolting in the direction of the school. _Just what the hecks happening? _He thought hurriedly. _Whose attacking us?!_

"Eight trigrams sixty-four palms!" Naruto heard someone shout. The tone in the person' voice caught Naruto's attention. The way they shouted it sounded as if they were issuing an attack of some sort, and if that was true that must mean they're in trouble! Naruto veered from his original direction to locate this person, and when descending upon the scene found he had been right. A young boy, someone around his age with very familiar eyes, was caught in a fight with several attacking nin behind a store. The boy had long brown hair and wore a forehead protector just like Naruto, so he figured he was also from the academy.

Naruto didn't hesitate to lend his aid. "Shadow clones!" He cried, producing a single hand sign. Three shadow clones popped out of a cloud of white smoke and landed simultaneously on one of the two terrorists. The young Konoha nin had just defeated his second opponent, sending him flying far into a wall, and when he was certain his opponent wouldn't be getting up any time soon, turned to Naruto demanding, "Who are you?"

Naruto and his clones finished pummeling their victim, and when his shadow clones dispersed into the air he replied with a triumphant grin, "The names Naruto Uzamaki, student of Konoha's Ninja Academy!" He adjusted his forehead protector proudly and demanded right back, "And who are you?"

The boy, at first looking at Naruto a little skeptically, relaxed from his battle his battle position and responded with a low, respectful demeanor, "Hyuga Neji."

***-*-*-*-*-*-***

Hinata struggled with the ropes tied viciously around her wrists, squirming on the ground, trying to break free. Her mouth was bound and gagged, so there was no chance of screaming for help, and even if she did her kidnapper would have stopped her anyways. The stranger was fast, extremely fast, and had swept Hinata from her seat faster than she was able to process. Surely Sasuke had no idea what had happened to her, and if she was being honest with herself, Hinata found that she was more concerned with the worry she was causing him rather than the endangerment of her own life.

The room the kidnapper had thrown her in was very dark, and if Hinata remembered correctly, the place she had been taken to was an abandoned smiths shop not to far from the village square. It was a mystery as to why she was taken there or even why the kidnapper hadn't simply knocked her out to begin with, but Hinata knew she had to get free as soon as possible by any means necessary. Using her Byakugan Hinata located the attacker at the smith's entrance, guarding the dilapidated door frame as if waiting for someone to arrive.

Hinata didn't think it wise to wait until more criminals showed up, and so quickly ran through a number of solutions and escape routes in her head.

_Think…_Hinata commanded inwardly. _Think! There must be something I can use from my training to break free!_

She remembered everything she'd been learning in the past few weeks, including her sparring matches with both Kiba and Shino.

And Sasuke…so much time she'd spent with Sasuke. Sparring, weapon training, sharpening her Byakugan, her focus, her chakra control…yes…that's it. Chakra control. Behind her back Hinata clenched and unclenched her fingers, then pressed her index and middle finger together on her right hand. Hinata closed her eyes, willing all the chakra coursing through her arm into her finger tips.

Chakra was like water, flowing through a person at regular intervals like river, and exactly like water, when concentrated into one powerful pressurized string, created the effect of a very sharp blade. If given enough pressure it could even slice through diamond, but Hinata only needed enough pressure to slice through the ropes.

A small concentrated blade of chakra glowed from the tips of her fingers and when she felt she'd given it enough pressure, pressed it to the ropes slowly and carefully so as not to slice her own skin in the process.

It took about twenty minutes to effectively sever the thick ropes, but it was a complete success. The first thing Hinata did when she was free was throw the ropes aside and pull the balled cloth from her mouth which was damp with her saliva. She chucked it into a near-by corner, sputtering quietly, trying to get the fibers from her mouth, and stood on her feet.

There were no exits Hinata could locate; no windows, no hidden doors, no extra rooms…if she was going to leave it had to be through the front door.

As if responding to her thoughts, the only entrance to the room creaked open and the kidnapper emerged casually, yet threateningly. "Going somewhere?"

***-*-*-*-*-*-***

"Who the hell are you?" a girl asked an assisting nin who'd unexpectedly dropped by to lend her his aid. The girl was quick with a kunai and had two brown puns poking up on either side of her head. On the way to the academy she'd unfortunately bumped into a group of terrorizing nins who'd cornered a young villager. Because of her the villager had gotten away unharmed, but unfortunately three against one made for an unbalanced equation. Luckily help arrived at the last second. Karma kicks ass.

"My name is Choji Akimichi!" The hefty Konoha nin boomed in response. "I'm here to help!"

The girl, occupied with an attacker, grinned and shouted back, "Nice to meet ya! My name's Tenten!"

Together the two students worked to defeat the three foreign ninjas, Tenten expertly throwing knives and bombs while Choji morphed into a human wrecking ball, not only breaking bones but breaking walls.

When all three criminals had been rendered unconscious, Tenten slumped against a wall, gasping for air. Choji himself had suffered a minor wound to his arm, but Tenten had it worse. There were numerous cuts on her body and a large bruise on her leg. Not to mention her chakra was almost completely depleted. "Are you alright?" Choji asked her.

"Yeah, I'm good…" Tenten replied quietly. She gathered a few more breaths and tread over to the unconscious nins.

Choji followed alongside her and together they studied them; their clothes, their masked faces, and briefed each other on which attacks each one possessed. The ninjas didn't posses any particularly well endowed skill, but there was something strange and unusual the two of them did notice.

"You see that?" Tenten asked Choji. He nodded silently, adjusting the forehead protector on his hat. Tenten gazed over the motionless bodies and said, "Their forehead protectors…they're blank."

***-*-*-*-*-*-***

There wasn't a curse in existence Sasuke had not dubbed himself with after Hinata had gone missing. This was all his fault! All of a sudden and without warning she'd completely vanished, and without any trace at all as to where she'd been taken. If he'd been paying attention like he should have been…

The streets were still crowded with people running and jostling about, rushing into doors and retreating to their houses. Somewhere a child was wailing and somewhere else, a woman crying out to her husband. Everywhere else was the same, thrown into a blurry chaotic mess, but Sasuke could hear none of it. All he could hear was himself, swearing and berating himself for being such a…_dobe_.

"Sasuke!" a feminine voice called. Sasuke, who was gliding along roof-tops, came to a dead stop. His heart pounded like a fist against his chest, but when he looked down to see who it was, it dropped like an anchor. It was only Sakura. She was waving to him frantically, swerving in between people in the process, and gave him a very worried and desperate look. "Sasuke are you alright? What's happening?"

"Tch!" Sasuke bounded off the roof top and onto a pile of crates stacked up beside the building. He resumed crouching form as Sakura made her way over to him, getting shouldered and tossed about in the crowd. "Sasuke!" Sakura cried when she reached him. He was a little ways up and Sakura couldn't reach him even if she were to stretch her arms out, but as she put one knee to a crate in an effort go climb up, Sasuke snapped, "What are you doing?"

Sakura instantly met his eyes, alarmed by the harshness in his tone, and said worriedly, "Sasuke we have to get to the academy! The village is--"

"Yeah, I know."

"The academy isn't that way, though. Where were you going?"

Sasuke gave an impatient snort and erected himself, standing tall over her like a god-like entity. His stance was firm and superior, and everything in his expression indicated that he did not have time to waste with her. "Don't concern yourself with me," Sasuke told her in a way that sounded more like a command. "You just get to the academy like you're supposed to and _don't_ try to follow me this time. I can't afford to baby-sit you right now. If you run into any trouble on the way there just run, you got it?"

"S-Sasuke…" Sakura whimpered with a slightly wounded expression. "I…I won't leave you! I don't know what you're doing but you can't just go off alone in a situation like this!"

"Sakura…" Sasuke growled angrily. "I told you to--"

"Sasuke!" Another feminine voice shrieked from the crowd.

"Goddammit," Sasuke muttered harshly when he saw Ino force her way past the stampeding mass.

"Sasuke, there you are!"

"Get out of here, pig!" Sakura shouted in a rage. "Just get to the academy!"

"Shut up, billboard brow! I'm here for Sasuke, not you!"

"I don't have time for this," Sasuke hissed with utter fury. Abruptly he turned his back to them and said, "Just get to the school. I'll be fine, okay? I always am."

"But Sasuke!" Sakura whined.

"I'll go with you too, Sasuke!" Ino declared, clenching both fists.

"I said get out of here, Ino Pig!" Sakura screamed at her.

As they were stupidly shoving one another like the childish children they were, Sasuke made his escape. Every second wasted felt like stab to his chest and he would sacrifice no more of it. To be honest Sasuke didn't even know where the hell he was going, but standing around thinking was absolutely not an option. In order to feel like he was doing something Sasuke had to be moving, but unfortunately that wasn't getting him any closer to figuring out where Hinata was being held captive.

Surely she had been kidnapped since there was no way she'd just leave him like that, and if too much time passed Sasuke feared immensely what might happen to her…

Never before had he felt an emotion as powerful as this. This…overwhelming guilt. And anger. So much anger…at himself, at the kidnapper, and at the rest of the attacking nins. If he could he'd wipe them all out, but as mentioned before, he had no time.

_Hinata…_he thought feverishly. _Be okay…you don't have to fight your way out of this and you don't have to forgive me...just please…be okay._

**/****/******************************************//A/N//****************************************//**

**(Haha! Naruto **_**was**_** at the ramen shop! :p)**

**And if anybody wants, please check out the fan art people have done for my fics, Tiny Pearl included! The links are posted right on my profile page! More are always always awlays encouraged!**

**( And btw, just WHY the hell doesn't Tenten have a last name??)**


	13. Sharingan

Sharingan

13

//------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------//

With her only escape being blocked, Hinata didn't see how she could possibly run away now. And even if she were given that option she wasn't sure if she'd take advantage of it. Being a ninja and a daughter of the world renowned Hyuga clan had implanted her with an unwavering sense of duty and honor, not to mention the overwhelming desire to, more than anything, prove herself. Watching Naruto had nourished this desire into a colorful and blossoming flower, but sometimes, and more often than not, Hinata found it difficult to keep that precious flower watered and upright. Like now.

"There's nowhere to run," the stranger said with a strangely distorted low voice. It wasn't hostile or threatening or even mean. It was more calm and reserved, speaking the words as if they were facts rather than warnings, and Hinata couldn't help but think to herself at how accustomed she was to such behavior. People like this person are what she's known to be 'silent killers'. The Hyuga clan is full of nothing but.

"I know." Hinata said without stuttering. Surprisingly enough this was less scary than facing Naruto and somehow even Sasuke, so Hinata found it easier to control her stuttering this time around.

The masked figure rolled his shoulder, cocking his head slightly as if curious, perhaps even a tad surprised, but said nothing. Normally the young heiress would not react this way when faced with such a situation, but something inside her felt…different. It was a little something, a very miniscule something, but somehow or another this tiny 'something' felt very big. She couldn't quite put her finger on it, but she felt it had something to do with her training. She'd been working so hard in the last few weeks…working hard with Sasuke.

In her heart Hinata felt a strange swelling, but not the bad kind filled to the rim with tears. This was the warm, fluttering, jubilant kind. Pride. Somehow this felt like less of a life threatening situation and more like a test; a test to prove her strength after such rigorous hard work and sacrifices made by those who'd offered their time to her. Sasuke especially. She didn't know when the desire to make Sasuke proud had overshadowed by the desire to prove herself to Naruto, but either way it made her heart inflate to nearly fearless levels.

Hinata, not even bothering to talk her way out of it, assumed battle stance, flattening her palms vertically against the air as if she were pushing against an invisible wall, and activated her Byakugan.

"Are you ready?" She asked him.

Under that thick mask Hinata saw his mouth shifting into a shape that clearly made a smile, and he too, assumed attacking position.

Hinata parted her mouth in both surprise and shock, twisting the corners down to form a hard expression of displeasure and said to him, "Wh-What is this?"

The attacker's hands rose in front of him, flat against the air in an almost exact mimicry of hers, and his right knee was slightly bent while his other was drawn behind him. The Gentle Fist Technique.

"Are you surprised?" The attacker asked nonchalantly. He sounded very casual, bored even.

Hinata didn't know what to say. Of all things she'd never have expected this. Did this ninja possess some kind of mimicking jutsu? Or perhaps he was familiar with the Gentle Fist somehow? Hinata didn't know what to think at the moment, but what she did know for a fact was that right now she was about to be engaged in a fight.

"Come," the attacker ordered.

Hinata didn't ask questions.

Sasuke had often encouraged her to attack first on occasions, since Hinata only ever waited for the enemy to make the first move. Sometimes this was the better way to start a match but other times it wasn't. Fighting is just like a board game. That was a line given to her by her father. At often times you can only win when successfully anticipating the enemy's next move, so always be one step ahead. Hinata figured this battle might be one of those times. Especially since their technique was in exact likeness of hers.

Hinata jabbed her left palm foreword, something Sasuke had taught her to do since she always predictably started off attacking with her right, and nearly struck her opponent in the shoulder. It was an almost easy hit, so Hinata figured the person must have been surprised, but they recovered quickly.

Soon the two started exchanging blows steadily and powerfully. Hinata, although only having trained for a few weeks, found her speed to be quite formidable. Though her opponent was easily keeping up with her, Hinata could see she was giving him a run for his money.

Or so she thought.

This person, mimicry or not, was extremely skilled in the Gentle Fist. His movements were clean and efficient. A month ago Hinata may not have been able to keep up and would have even already been defeated, perhaps killed. With every counter and every dodge she thanked Sasuke, silently and gratefully. The control she'd developed in her palms were well enough exercised to where they formed sharp blades of blue light, and if she were able to make contact with the body of her enemy not only would they inflict internal damage, but also slice the skin. A very different approach to the Gentle Fist, but one that was effective and different.

Rather than master the traditional Gentle Fist itself, Hinata tweaked it as she wished, changing things she thought need be changed, thus developing a fighting style all her own and one that was new and unpredictable to her enemies. However, this was still a work in progress, so the movements were choppy and underdeveloped, leaving her no choice but to rely on the original style of the Gentle Fist itself, thus leaving her at a disadvantage.

It was her own fault for not paying more attention to the technique in the first place. How was she ever to develop an effective fighting style when she had not even mastered the one she was tweaking in the first place?

If she survived this encounter, Hinata would make sure to take mental note of this and train more efficiently.

The attacker kept a steady pace, hammering his palms against the air, coming far too close far too often to Hinata's chakra veins and tiring her faster and faster. This would take a while, Hinata knew, but unfortunately it only takes a half a second to kill somebody.

***-*-*-*-*-*-***

His heart pounded against his chest without mercy, stretching his nerves like cords, darkening the veins bulging from his pale skin with sickening worry. Hinata could be dead by now, and here he was, running aimlessly about, not knowing where to go or what he was doing. It was an absolutely horrid feeling. Sasuke couldn't remember the last time he'd felt something this strong, and he was startled, alarmed, and surprised by it. But the most shocking of all was that Hinata, such a small, meek, and fragile individual, obscured by the bright personalities of others and immersed in the forgotten shadows of a moving crowd, was able to make him feel such dread.

But then again, Hinata had never been obscure to him. She had never been opaque or obsolete. Because even though she was nothing like him, she was, at the same time, a lot like him. Still within a bustling crowd, removed from everyone and everything, even herself, and a shockingly dark contrast against the rainbow that was the populous. But it was because of this she stood out. Yes, it was her shy and pleasantly quiet nature that turned his head in the first place, but now it was the newfound presence of other things which kept his head turned, never looking back and never looking at anything else.

It was almost embarrassing, being so worked up over someone so small, but in the grand scheme of things weren't we all small?

The clacking sound of a small object against one of the rooftops sounded underneath the wind rushing past Sasuke's ears and he stopped. An explosion of smoke erupted into the night and Sasuke covered his nose with the high collar of his shirt. When the gray smoke subsided Sasuke saw a tall figure left in it's wake, staring at him through a shielded mask with something resembling a jonin outfit, only with darker colors, a thicker, longer vest, and a…blank forehead protector.

Peculiar. Now it was impossible to tell which village he was from.

"Who the hell are you?" Sasuke demanded with barely controlled rage. Normally he would approach the situation with more decorum and coolness, but his patience had been worn away to a mere shrivel of what it was, and any distraction right now would not be met kindly.

Which meant this bastard was dead.

"Not going to answer, are you?" Sasuke said with dangerous hostility.

The ninja reached inside his vest and pulled out a Kunai. He twirled it around his index finger, catching the stem in his palm, and bent his knees, preparing to strike.

"Fine by me," Sasuke growled. "Regardless of your answer, I'd have killed you anyway."

The stranger's head drew back with a small sound of surprise as he stared at Sasuke's sudden expression.

His mouth was set firmly in a snarl, his forehead wrinkled in fury, and his eyes, dark and menacing, gave off a new, sharpened red glow. There were small black markings inside of them which resembled black droplets of water dancing around each other in a sea of red.

Sharingan.

***-*-*-*-*-*-***

"Wait, wait, wait," Tenten whispered hurriedly, pushing Choji back behind a building. Together they hid themselves around a corner, concealing themselves from a band of terrorists holding a small group of villagers hostage. From where they were hiding they couldn't hear what the ninja's were saying to hostages, but whatever it was obviously frightened them.

As if to further the effect of whatever they were saying, the ninja's sharpened their kunais with emphasis, smiling wickedly under their masks and kicking dirt in their direction. Both Tenten and Choji grew sickened at the sight.

"Bastards," Tenten seethed.

"What do we do?" Choji asked gruffly, mouth set in a hard frown.

"What do you mean 'whudda we do?' We demolish them!"

"Wh-What?" Choji stammered, taken aback. "You mean all by ourselves?"

"Don't be such a coward! There isn't exactly ample opportunity to go and get help, you know. Sure, one of us could take them on while the other searched for back-up, but do you know how risky that would be? We don't have a choice."

"Yes, and there is a good chance the villagers might be harmed," a voice suddenly butted in from behind them.

Tenten gasped, whirling around, then, acting solely on quick thinking, brought her hands over Choji;s mouth from behind him to stifle his surprised screams.

"L-Lee?" Tenten exclaimed in a harsh whisper. "Where did you come from?"

"The village is under attack and--"

"We know that already," Tenten remarked lowly with impatience.

"--and I was my way to the academy," Lee continued, "when I saw these villagers being held hostage. It must be the merciful fortunes of Lady luck that guided me to you two. It seems as if you could use some help."

"You can say that again," Tenten replied with a sigh, dropping her hands from Choji's mouth. He looked quite peeved, gasping silently for breath, when Lee turned to him and asked with a big smile, "Who are you? My name is Rock Lee! A pleasure to meet you!"

Tenten shook her head. How like Lee to put manners before anything else.

"Choji Akimichi," the plump one responded with little enthusiasm.

"Look, we don't have time for introductions," Tenten interrupted. "We kinda have a situation on our hands."

"Indeed you do," a deep, growling voice commented from above them. A ninja stood, twirling a sharpened kunai in his hand, then pointed the blade at Tenten's neck.

"Crap," she muttered exasperatedly.

**//*******************************************//A/N//***************************************//**

**Took a long time, huh? My baaaaaaaad :P  
**


	14. Motion

Motion

14

* * *

Though the worry for Hinata was still there, tearing at the worn fabrics of Sasuke's chest, he couldn't help but feel utter cockiness from his newfound ability. In this moment, where everything and everyone was bleached black and red, swirling in a world of torrent and chaos, Sasuke grinned, angry with vengeance of every kind, yet even more so excited. Somewhere in heaven, in hell--in whatever world his bastard of a brother had sent his family to--his father was watching with keen eyes.

_It is time to test your worth as an Uchiha, _Sasuke could hear him murmur. _Show me you have the potential to be better than your brother._

Sasuke's enemy cocked his head to the side in a very slight movement, no doubt studying the boy with new-found interest. With his knees still bent, the enemy clasped the kunai in his hand between two fingers, sweeping his arm in a vertical motion to let the weapon sail forward.

The solid object, a mere speckle of darkness in Sasuke's new vision, made an easily predictable flying path. He made an effortless twitch of his head to where the kunai just barely missed his ear, cutting the air and making a sharp whistling sound in the passing. "Testing me, are you?" Sasuke asked. His voice was hard, but the corner of his mouth twitched in an upward motion. "Not very effective, is it?"

Sasuke knew, as did his opponent, most likely, that a Kekkei Genkai as superior as the Sharingan was one that could only be tested in hand to hand combat. "Don't waste my time," Sasuke growled, "I have somewhere to be."

Without a nod, without a grunt of acknowledgment, without any indication of confirmation, the enemy charged forward on soundless heels, whipping his hands out like a viper. The attacks were well met by Sasuke, breaking, reforming, and reissuing. The attacker was relentless, but he was slower than Sasuke had predicted. After a quick exchange, Sasuke's concluded that his enemy was not fighting to kill, but fighting to learn.

The nin was being very careful with his blows, scouting the placement and strength of each punch, each kick, seeing if Sasuke's responses were already in play by the time their fists met in the air.

They were.

With his Sharingan, Sasuke could see each attack being thrown before the previous one had time to finish. With every move his eyes widened with knowledge, with anticipation. There wasn't a single unpredictable move the enemy made that Sasuke had not already deduced the schematics of, and with each deciphered attack, he struck back with more force.

Every sense Sasuke had was riding on high, hearing and sight shooting to the top. With each move he mimicked and threw back, a smirk quivered at the side of his mouth. It was only until the enemy jumped back to an adjacent rooftop that Sasuke finally allowed the grin to form. "Not tired yet, are you?" he asked.

Sasuke knew the fight wasn't anywhere near over, as the ninja had only been sparring up until now, playing games while racking up information. Sasuke knew this very well, because it was the exact same thing he was doing. Without a word and without the enemy's eyes even being visible, the two warriors made a silent exchange, agreeing that it was time to dish out something of worth.

Sasuke's opponent brought his hands together in a fleeting gesture too quick for an untrained eye, but Sasuke was already deciphering the hand signs.

_Tiger…_

_Ox…_

_Monkey…_

Every hand sign was more familiar than the last, engraving its pattern into Sasuke's memory with scorching iron, weaving into a jutsu Sasuke had witnessed once before, but only vaguely. There was no time and no room to wonder where he'd seen it done before, but one thought did surface in its place.

The identity of this ninja had now become intriguing.

_Monkey…_

_Rabbit…_

The jutsu continued, and with only one more sign left, Sasuke's mind widened with intensity.

_Bird!_

_Water Element: Vortex!_

But there was no water! Without thinking, Sasuke repeated the signs, never slipping up, executing them with smooth perfection.

A powerful swirling column of wind danced around the two ninjas, drawing the surrounding winds into their chaotic motion. The enemy's vortex came first, a split fraction of a second before Sasuke's, but that small increment of time made all the difference.

The two jutsus met with a monstrous impact, ripping the shingles off the rooftops and stripping the chimneys of their bricks. The unbalanced collision of winds pounded against Sasuke's frame with intensity, sweeping him backwards off the roofs while his opponent stood ground.

Sasuke made a quick calculation of where he would land according to the length off the rooftops and force of the thrust. He could not adjust himself in midair, so he prepared to crash on his back. However, when his body made impact, it landed on something much softer and smaller.

And louder.

"AHH! WHAT THE _HECK_!" The figure squirmed and thrashed under Sasuke, pushing him off to the side.

Sasuke rolled to his knees and hands, jumping up on his feet with a disabled Sharingan. "Fantastic," he muttered with severe annoyance. "Another idiot."

"Screw you, Sasuke Bas--Oh! Sasuke!"

"What the hell are you doing here, Naruto?" Sasuke demanded. "The Academy is _that _way." He jabbed his finger in the opposite direction in a hasty, unwelcoming gesture.

"Uchiha," a calm, unfriendly voice greeted out of thin air. In the night, the voice almost seemed to possess the embodiment of barely lit darkness, but a second later a person appeared along with it, descending with silent speed onto the scene.

At first glance the eyes Sasuke thought he was staring at belonged to Hinata, and his heart skipped a painful beat. But in the same beat, he realized whose eyes they really were. "Hyuga," Sasuke greeted levelly. The sight of Hyuga Neji himself brought no emotion other than annoyance, but the hidden emotion behind it, the sudden flaring desperation for Hinata's safety, took a more solid ground.

Turning around, Sasuke glared at the nin not five rooftops away, narrowing his eyes with hate.

How much time had he wasted here? How many precious, fleeting seconds of precious, fleeting minutes?

"Sasuke, what _are _you doing here?" Naruto demanded loudly, wobbling to a stand. "I saw someone being attacked and--"

"And just barged right into it," Neji interrupted with impatience. Before Naruto even had time to make a retort, he said to Sasuke, "That attack he used just now was one of water."

Sasuke didn't look at Neji as he spoke, but he was listening.

"And yet he used it to command the wind," Neji continued.

"Because wind is exactly like water," Sasuke responded. "It flows like water, behaves like water, and can be just as deadly. I felt its power when I used his jutsu against him, only I was unprepared. He wasn't."

"Used his jutsu against him?" Naruto asked before Neji could ask the same.

Neji gave Sasuke a look that offered the same question, and as a response, Sasuke closed his eyes. With a slow turn of his head, his eyelids thrust open to reveal the Sharingan. Neji's mouth parted in surprise, but his eyes betrayed his reverence. "Your Kekkei Genkei has awakened," he noted.

Sasuke nodded.

"Kekkei--what?" Naruto asked in confusion, though he was just as surprised as Neji.

"My bloodline trait, you dobe," Sasuke explained. "Like the Hyuga's Byakugan, a special ability passed down in a family for generations."

"But. . .didn't Kakashi-Sensei have it too? Or--I dunno--something like it? At least I think that's what it looked like…"

Instead of meeting Naruto's comment harshly, Sasuke stared at him.

"What is it?" Neji asked severely.

A sharp whistle alerted all three of them, however Naruto was more startled than alerted. The attacking ninja was standing upright, shoulders perfectly erect with a lazy hand drawn in his pocket.

"Why hasn't he attacked us?" Neji wondered. "He's had more than enough time, but instead he's allowed us time to converse."

"I dunno, can't you us your Kekkei-whatever to find out?" Naruto asked stupidly.

"I see across long distances and through solid objects, not read minds," Neji replied coolly, leaving the more than obvious _"idot" _off the end.

Sasuke ignored the two of them, only seeing his opponent. As Sasuke leaned forward to rush an attack, the nin took his had out of his pocket and waved it in the air, disappearing.

Sasuke and the others jumped to the nearest rooftop, exchanging glances with one another. "Where did that bastard go?" Naruto demanded. "Did he run away or sumthin?"

"No," Sasuke answered quietly. "It's not that. . ."

He and Neji erected their stance, on guard and alert, leaving Naruto looking at them with confusion. "What is it?" he asked in a rush, "That's happening."

"Don't you feel it?" Neji whispered in a hard tone, the veins around his eyes bulging fiercely.

Naruto, eyes open wide in awareness, silenced himself. When his shoulders tensed, Sasuke knew he could feel it too.

If even the witless Naruto could sense what was coming, the presence of whoever was about to appear was certainly one of power.

Sasuke's eyebrows dipped with anger and rekindled fury. The back of his teeth locked tightly while his chest rose and fell quickly with each breath.

Sand.

And lots of it. Swirling upwards, literally out of nowhere, spinning fiercely in a dust storm of rough grain, dirt, and blood. Sasuke prepared himself for the figure that he knew would emerge from it, as did Neji, and as did Naruto.

"It has been a while," a rough voice said from beyond the whirlwind. The sand exploded outwards in a blossoming manner, spewing Sasuke and the others with it.

"Not nearly long enough, monster," Sasuke replied lowly, sweeping the sand roughly from his hair and shoulders.

The red haired ninja, barely standing a rooftop away, glared at the Uchiha with menace. When he spoke, he spoke with the voice of blood and blade.

"That's _Gaara of the Sand_."

***-*-*-*-*-*-***

"Jeeze," Tenten whispered raggedly, crouched over with a hand to her neck. "I thought you were gonna kill them for a second, Lee."

In a sloppy pile next to a cluster of broken crates lay the unconscious bodies of five ninjas. The one who'd nipped Tenten with a blade lay off to the side, more unconscious than the rest, but with a face twice the size than that of a normal human's. The discolored bruises on it made him almost recognizable, but than again, he was unrecognizable to begin with.

"How is the wound?" Lee asked Tenten with serious concern, crouching to his knees in front of her.

"Nothing that will cause death," Tenten remarked with light sarcasm. Lee took a roll of gauze out of his thick, orange sash and wrapped some around her neck. He did so quickly and carefully, making sure not to put too much pressure on Tenten's neck to where it would cause pain. When he ripped off the end and secured it on, he turned toward a very battered Choji and asked, "What about you, fellow ninja? Are you injured?"

"Let's just get to the Academy already," he replied gruffly, nursing a few bruises of his own.

"Ditto," Tenten remarked.

"Alright, than!" Lee exclaimed, jumping to a stand. "The others are safe and now I'm off to find Guy Sensei!"

"Lee, what?" Tenten breathed, exasperated.

"I must find Guy Sensei!" Lee declared. "He is in the village somewhere and I must come to his assistance right away!"

"Won't he be at the Academy?" Choji asked.

"Guy Sensei would never hold still at a time like this," Lee explained. "Iruka Sensei and the others are there, so certainly Guy Sensei would have gone off to fight."

"Lee," Tenten began, rising to her feet as well, "Just get to the school. That's what we're supposed to do, so we should do it. Do I have to drag you there?"

Her voice was taught with impatience now. Getting sliced across the neck tends to leave you with little, or at the very least, put a damper on it.

"I am sorry, Tenten, but I cannot go with you. Please keep safe on your journey there! Farewell Choji Akimichi!"

Tenten made a hasty move to snatch his collar, but Lee was already gone, off into the air and in to the night.

"UGH!!" Tenten cried, throwing her empty hands in the air. "STUBBORN SON OF A--"

"Are…are we gonna go after him?" Choji asked with reluctance.

"Hell no!" Tenten yelled. "If he wants to get himself in trouble, let him! All I know is I'm damn sure not doing _another _fifty laps around the village for anyone! Let's go, Akimichi, before a Sensei shows up to kick our asses for lounging around!"

"Yes! Off to safet--the Academy!" Choji yelled with rejuvenated vigor, and was off before Tenten could even take a step forward.

"Boys," Tenten rolled her eyes.

**//********************************//A/N//**********************************//**

**Yeah, I'd give you an excuse as to why I'm so late but…I have none. You know what, just check my profile page. It has some half-ass explanation on there.**


	15. Praise

Praise

15

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**/*******************************/A/N/*****************************/**

**I'm sitting at my desk at 1:30 in the morning eating ramen and typing this chapter.  
**

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* * *

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Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple. . .all these colors represented the balance of chakra in the human body from base to head. This was common knowledge amongst ninja, and one of the first lessons that were taught in the classroom. Where each color represented an emotion and a state of being, Hinata felt that every chakra point in her body were burning the flamboyant colors of fire.

Her back especially screamed with heated colors. During some point in the fight, the terrorist ninja had blasted Hinata through the wall of the smith's shop. The room was small to begin with, dilapidated and weary with age and dust. It wouldn't have taken a great amount of effort to knock a wall down, only Hinata had flown through three at once before finding herself laying flat on her back in the street.

Every part of Hinata ached. Even though thankful that she had at least not fractured her spine, the rest of what was wrong with her still served as an obstacle in her way of survival. Some of the bones in her hand were surely cracked by now while the soles of her feet seared with pain. The skin of her chest throbbed with constant motion, masking the sore lungs behind it which struggled to keep a steady flow of air coursing in and out at regular intervals.

"Tired?" The ninja asked. A voice so bland and unconcerned made Hinata wonder if she were fighting a machine. There was no anger in her, as whatever emotions that threatened to peak at her lips were silenced by adrenaline and heavy breathing.

The sun had set so many hours ago. Since she last finished her training. Since she last saw Sasuke. In the night Hinata's Byakygan had become exponentially more efficient, but the drawn out use of it had become strenuous. Another half-hour of this and Hinata would surely wake up blind in the morning.

The straining of a kekkei genkai like the one Hinata possessed, where the chakra rushed through the nerves of the eyes, sometimes caused the wielders to succumb to a temporary state of blindness. Her father had experienced many in his teenage years, as he was always prone to recklessly training himself to death, crushing under the expectations of his father.

Hinata herself had not experienced this, even though she trained so hard, but this time she was certain that this would be the case if she survived.

A dull blue light spilled over Hinata and her enemy. A crescent moon shone from behind a thin stretch of clouds sailing eastward, blowing the scent of burnt wood and rosemary leaves through the air. There was even a faint fragrance of incense, but coming from where she didn't know.

The gentle smell soothed Hinata to a small extent, but not enough to rejuvenate her. There was a strong spark of dismay in Hinata at the sight of her opponent, since he obviously did not look tired or worn at all. No limp, no slouch, nothing. "Why…why are you attacking this village?" Hinata demanded. It surprised her how raspy her voice sounded.

She cleared her throat, dry with grunting and yelling. If Hinata was going to die, she figured it best to at least know the intentions of her enemy. "What is the purpose of kidnapping me? I-I am of absolutely no use to you."

And it was true. Hinata was dead on her heels. The enemy before her was so obviously superior that it hurt. What was the purpose of training if it all came to nothing in the end?

"That is not important," the ninja said back to her. "What you should be concerned about now is your life. Or have you resigned?"

Hinata's head show upwards, eyes wide. _Re…Resigned_? She echoed.

_Are you giving up? _Sasuke's voice intervened. _Training, fighting, worrying. . .was all that for nothing, than? The bits of improvement you made, the tasks you've completed and the dreams you had…do they mean nothing to you now?_

Hinata's chest tightened. Of all the people to hear, it had to be him.

_If this is it-if this is all you're going to give-than I was wrong about you, Hinata. It appears that you weren't that great a student after all. It seems as if our time together. . ._

Sasuke…

…_was for nothing._

"Never!" Hinata cried.

Her opponent made no move. No reaction.

"I'll never resign. I owe him-everyon-that much. There's not a lot I can do, and not a lot I can accomplish, so the very least I can do is not give up! If you want to stop me, than please kill me."

Give up?

"If you can."

That wasn't Hinata. That wasn't who she was. Watching Naruto had implanted something so great and spectacular within her that she couldn't imagine forgetting it like she just had. She had no right. The words…_giving up_. They sounded so incredibly grotesque to Hinata. Sasuke, surely, would think so too. If there was nothing Sasuke and Naruto liked about one another, even if there was nothing they shared in common, it was this one thought which linked the two-the three-of them together.

A ninja never gives up. He fights. No matter what.

Again, Hinata assumed the Gentle Fist.

Leaning on the balls of her feet, Hinata sprang forward to attack. In the same motion she pulled five throwing stars from their holster and let them sail.

The enemy leaped into the air, pulling out kunai of his own. Each had a paper bomb attached, and one by one he sent them flying at Hinata.

Hinata countered with paper bombs of her own. When the enemy thrust a barrage of knives at her, Hinata projected a fake dummy in the exact form of her to receive the blows.

The two ninjas circled around one another, scaling atop the wooden walls of shacks and abandoned shops. Hinata ran along the side of the smith's shop which had several knives and shurikans embedded in it. She swept them up with one hand, attaching more paper bombs on the ends. The enemy separated into two, one a shadow clone of the other. Hinata sent bombs at both of them, but only the original dodged.

It weakened Hinata's limbs to have to move at such a rapid pace, but the less amount of chakra she used the longer she could prolong the fight. Perhaps someone from the academy would come across the fight to lend her their aid.

Hinata could delay no longer when the ninja eradicated all weapons, leaving the two of them to face off once again in hand to hand combat. One hand found Hinata's abdomen, and with a wrenching twist the enemy thrust her on to the edge of a roof. A fresh spurt of blood shot from Hinata's mouth when she landed.

A new mix of throbbing pain collided with fiery heat inside of her, making Hinata hunch over in agony. Shuddering, she inhaled a deep breath, rolling backwards just as her opponent slammed his fist into the shingles with his Gentle Fist. Dodging, even in her condition, was surprisingly easy, Hinata found. Or at least not as difficult as it should have been.

Perhaps fatigue had finally begun to wear on him too?

Hinata stood away from him, legs apart, barely standing. One arm was wrapped around her stomach, fruitlessly deterring the pain gearing through her body.

No words fell between them as the ninja ran forward, right hand swinging directly towards Hinata with two fingers pressing together in a stabbing motion. Hinata's arm dropped from her abdomen.

In a painful decision, she stretched both arms out for a direct blow.

The attacker didn't relent. Two fingers dug into Hinata's jacket with astounding force, severing the chakra flow in her spine. The pain was like a sharpened sword cutting through the front and back of her.

In response, Hinata pressed the index and middle finger together of her left hand and pierced the base of her opponent's wrist.

Hinata fell from the roof, toppling over the edge and landing flat on her back.

The pain she was in now reached to indescribable heights. No scream came from her. No grunt of pain, no wail, no cry for help.

Instead Hinata writhed on her back, clenching and unclenching her swollen hands, squeezing her eyelids shut. A cap-full of unshed tears hovered at the corners of her eyes, yet she held them back dutifully.

Through one blurred eye Hinata caught sight of the predator standing over her, watching her to twist on the ground.

His right wrist was not broken, she noticed, but for certain she'd completely severed the chakra flow from his arm to his hand. However, since he was not able to execute the final blow with it, he instead gripped her by the collar, fully intending to use his left.

The world tilted on an angle, the clouds swam overhead, and the glowing crescent moon was in two places at once. As the ninja drew his left arm back, Hinata caught a fleeting scent of incense in the air. Everything about her was so broken she wondered if even her smell was betraying her.

"You didn't door poorly," were the ninja's baritone words.

A quick gasp sputtered from Hinata's lips, spackling the side of her cheek with tiny red dots.

"Is…is that so?" Hinata replied coarsely, a petite smile wavering across her face.

"I'm so very glad to hear that. You've never. . .praised me before . . .father."

**/*************************************/A/N/***************************************/**

**I know, what the hell is going on, right? Though some of you probably already figured it out before this. And just so you guys know i already have this whole thing planned out, I just haven't had time to write it. See you soon :P**

**Oh, and if anyone gives a crap the link to my deviantart account is on my profile page. Please visit and say hello :)**

**Some of you have already sought me out, so I'm just telling the rest of you...my account exists. LOL.**


	16. Flames

Flames

16

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Sasuke enjoyed the thrill of battle, but this time he was in a rush to get it over with. For a long time Sasuke had wanted to fight Gaara, but not under these circumstances. No matter how strong he thought he was, there was no way the end to this battle was going to come smoothly. And he certainly wasn't about to kill Gaara, either. Not because he didn't want to, but because he couldn't. Gaara was nothing if not formidable. Gaara's offense was good, and his defense nearly impenetrable, and somehow or another, he was able to fight well on both terms at the same time.

Naruto's clones were everywhere. Smoke streamed overhead, grazing atop the roof, but the force of Neji's spherical trigram motion kept the dust fragments from making their way in his eyes, as well as that of Sasuke's and Naruto's. Gaara was standing a distance off, his arms crossed, and his face impassive. Sasuke's sharingan was activated, his brows creased. As it turns out, Gaara's threat to one enemy was just as great when there were several. Rough waves of sand tumbled in from every direction, not only aiming for Sasuke, but the other two as well.

Naruto's clones were useful only in terms of distraction, but one heavy wave was able to take out so many, therefore he kept finding himself emitting copious lengths of chakra in order to produce more. It was the only thing keeping Naruto from being tossed around like a rag doll. Neji's Gentle Fist proved more effective, but mainly for defense. Gaara's attacks were so swift and aggressive Neji couldn't even look for openings, let alone take advantage of them. He wasn't even sure if there were any.

Sasuke flew at Gaara, fist aiming for his head, but his knuckles only made contact with more sand, and a thick sheet of it. Several ribbons of sand blossomed at Sasuke's feet, no doubt intending to crush him in their hold, but Sasuke sprung into the air. "You can't kill me!" he called down to Gaara. Sasuke landed on his heels on the rooftop opposite to Naruto and Neji, who were busy with assaults of their own. "I know what you're up to, you red-headed freak."

"Is that so?" Gaara replied. He sounded rather uninterested in Sasuke's statement, or perhaps like he was disregarding it, or it didn't matter. As if to make a point, Gaara unfolded his arms. With one hand hanging motionless at his side, he took the other and motioned for a giant onslaught of jagged sand missiles to come raining down upon his opponent. Sasuke was prepared. As soon as they just about made contact, he let forth an explosion of shadow clones.

In a harmonious group, they whipped around them, gliding in between each missile, some surviving, some not. In the end, Sasuke had not suffered a single injury from the attack, and when the last crystal of sand smashed upon the roof, breaking straight through as most of the others did, Sasuke rushed forth again. Naruto and Neji attacked Gaara from behind, at the same time.

But Gaara looked unperturbed. A sheet of sand circled around him, closing him up in a protective barrier. Naruto cursed, slamming his foot into the steely shield. Neji attacked the barrier with his Gentle Fist, blue sparks of chakra bursting from his hand with each moment of contact. "Stand aside," Sasuke said to the others, and without arguing, they jumped behind him. He then summoned three copies of himself, shadow clones. They circled around Gaara's sand dome, eyes narrow.

Sasuke offered a few hand signs, bringing a curled fist to his mouth, sideways. "Fire no jutsu!" he shouted. A massive wave of fire spewed from his lungs, as did the others who followed his exact movements, engulfing Gaara's entire sand dome in orange flames. The four hot beams of fire continued their assault for what seemed like minutes. Sasuke had never kept it going for this long, let alone through other shadow clones, but he did not relent.

Instead, he did just the opposite. The four beams of fire narrowed into individual jet streams of scorching heat. Suddenly, the flames became so hot they turned blue, and Neji and Naruto stared in a wonder. The air around them was so hot they found that they had to draw back a length, covering their eyes from the invisible blast of heat.

When Sasuke finally let back, his shadow clones disappeared, and he dropped to one knee, gasping for breath. Neji and Naruto ran to his side, waiting for Gaara to emerge, but his barrier did not fluctuate in the slightest. Everything had gone still and quiet.

"What did you-" Naruto was cut off when Neji took a step forward. Carefully, he tapped two fingers against the hot surface of Gaara's barrier, which continued to resonate with a red glow. He ran his nails lightly across the exterior, analyzing the texture. He stepped back. "I can't believe it," Neji whispered. "It's. . . glass."

"It won't stop him for long," Sasuke said, coming to a wobbly stand. Naruto reached out to help steady him, but was bushed aside. Weird sounds had already begun emanating from the barrier. Rough, scratchy sounds, tight and crumbly like the cracking of granite. Gaara was no doubt aware of what transpired, and was now trying to break his way through.

"What now?" Naruto asked.

"I was thinking the same thing," said Neji.

A puff of smoke burst into the area next to them, close enough to where it caused alarm, but far away enough so that there was time to react. Naruto, however, was the only one to jump into battle stance, ready for a fight. Sasuke stepped in front of the other two, while Neji loomed quietly.

A man appeared, the same masked opponent whom Sasuke had been facing earlier. Sasuke quirked an eyebrow, disengaging his Sharingan. "Back so soon, Kakashi?"

* * *

Hinata's father revealed himself. There was no point in hiding now that she'd figured it out. Her vision was blurry after her Byakugan subsided, making her headache that much worse. She was so banged up she wasn't sure which parts of her were able to move and which parts weren't. When she tried to make an attempt to prop herself up on her elbows, she found she could do nothing but whimper. Her father came beside her then, and did something he had not done in ten years. He scooped her up in his arms and carried her.

Hinata was in such a daze she wondered if she was not dead and dreaming. Her father placed her upon a sturdy crate, slowly easing her back against the wall by which it was located. He drew back, standing over her. "How did you know?" he asked. It was more of a demand, one that was trying to be soft, but failed.

Hinata cleared her throat, tasting blood on her tongue. Her blood. "Incense," she answered. Her father looked as if he'd not heard correctly. "Ginseng incense," Hinata continued. "They are considered to be a medicinal incense. They help to clear the mind and even help with breathing and coughing, so you light them in your office very often. That is how I knew. Y-You smell like them." _I'm also familiar with the smell because I put ginseng in your tea on days when you're not feeling well, but there's no need to add that, _Hinata thought.

Hyuga Hiashi considered this for a moment, then said, "What else?"

Hinata struggled for words. Talking to her father face to face was harder than it had been when he had his mask on. "Your fighting. Only one person I know fights like you do, even if it is the Gentle Fist. W-We don't spar like we used to when I was younger. . . But I would never forget it."

"And?" he pressed.

Hinata fidgeted in her seat, wishing she'd passed out. "Um. . . The attack on the village. . . The strange ninja and the explosions in the distance. . . It's all staged. Th-there really is no attack. There never was."

* * *

"You are free to go, Gaara," Kakashi said to the sand dome. "Thank you for your assistance."

Gaara's barrier was still erect, though cracked severely, but when Neji activated his Byakugan, he could see that Gaara had already disappeared from inside.

Sasuke looked unimpressed, though a bit annoyed. Severely annoyed, actually. Naruto was freaking out beside him, tossing random accusations and acting an utter fool. "Shut up," Neji growled, eyebrow twitching. "Let him explain."

"You seem to know quite a lot about the situation already," Kakashi said, arms folded behind his back. "Why don't you tell me?"

"You played us for a fool," Sasuke seethed. "All of you."

"There was never any invasion," Neji added.

"Never any what?" Naruto exclaimed. "What the heck's going on?"

"Quite the coincidence that all of this happened on the day before the exams, isn't it?" Sasuke inquired, voice spilling sarcasm. "Or not. The first test of the Tournament, apparently, was not a test of skill, but a test of wit. You let loose entire bands of ninja in an attempt to make it look like an invasion. You even gave them blank headbands. But that wasn't because they were trying to hide what village they were from. It's because they were part of Konoha all along, and it would have been unwise to put any other village's symbol on the headbands, for fear of stirring up unnecessary confusion and false blame."

"Very good, Sasuke. And you too, Neji. But you're only half right."

"What do you mean?" the boys asked.

"Figuring out the plot was only part of the test. The other part was figuring out who your opponent was. Every team was pitted against their senseis, though not all of you. Let's take Neji, for example, who's sensei is really Gai, but he wound up facing Gaara. The whole point of this test was to determine which of you was able to come to the final conclusion through use of your skills and cooperation. As you can see, all of you formed your own teams amongst the chaos without being told to. Sasuke, you were baited with Hinata, but you wound up teaming up with Neji and Naruto in the process, two ninjas who you never would have imagined working with in the past, correct? The three of you banned together, putting aside your differences in order to defend the village. After the attack, all of you were told to head straight to the Academy, remember? But that was what the real trick was. The ones who did make it to the academy were the ones who did not pass. The ones who wound up not making it, did."

"Ahhh!" Naruto screamed, twisting his hands through his hair. "I still don't get any of this! How the heck do you explain that sand weirdo's part in all this, then?"

"It was agreed between Hiashi and the Hokage that the sand ninja would take part in this test. They are not students of Konoha, therefore they had to be let in on the operation beforehand. Gaara's participation was mostly to keep him out of trouble."

"You mean to make sure he didn't decide to take advantage of the situation and go on a killing spree in between all the confusion," Neji remarked.

"Precisely."

"I recognized your water jutsu," Sasuke said, crossing his arms. "I only saw it once, during training, but there was no doubt in my mind it was you."

"Is that so?" Kakashi replied. Sasuke felt he was smirking behind his usual mask.

"So who passed?" Naruto asked, voice hopeful.

"The three of you, and some others. That still remains to be seen."

"And Hinata?" Sasuke demanded. His voice was sharp and cold, like a steel razor. All this time he'd been losing his head over her disappearance, so finding out it was all one big hoax had him ready to kill. For real. It came as a relief to Sasuke to know she was never in any real danger, but that didn't want to make him see her any less. He still had to make sure if she was all right. And not only that, but to see if she'd passed. However, with everything that'd happened, he wondered if that was really what he wanted anymore. It seemed that the lengths at which the village would go through to ensure the difficulty of the Tournament was extreme, if not staggering. It was only a matter of time before actual deaths came into legal grounds.

"Where is she?" he demanded in a way that was almost a threat. Respect for your sensei, pleasantries, patience, screw that. Sasuke didn't like being jerked around, and he made no move to hide it. Unlike Neji, who was no doubt just as pissed off, but had to restrain himself under Hyuga law.

"It is against the rules for me to tell you," Kakashi said. "The test is still in session."

"Then I'll just be going."

Sasuke bounded past his teacher with a scowl. His chakra was very low after his fight with Gaara, and he was tired, but he ignored it.

He was in less of a hurry now that he knew Hinata would be okay, but there was also something else slowing him down.

It was something Gaara had said. When his sand barrier was encased in flames, fire so loud it was almost impossible to hear the muffled cries of his teammates next to him, he could have sworn he heard Gaara whisper something from inside. It was a rough, ragged something that Sasuke could hardly make out, but thinking back on it now, he was almost certain he'd heard what he did.

Sasuke came to a gradual stop, looking down at the ground beneath him.

_Why do you do this? _Gaara had whispered. _Why, why why? Do you do it. . . For love?_

Sasuke continued on his way.

**/**********************************************/A/N/**********************************************/**

**If you remember, Hinata had detected the incense in the previous chapter.**

**See you soon, hugs and kisses. **


	17. Proud

Proud

17

* * *

Hinata could hear the staged explosions in the distance. Even with her limp and broken body, battered and bruised under the dust covered shield of her jacket, she could still feel the vibrations of the sonic waves they produced. Pain ebbed every inch of her, causing her mind to drift within itself, but she didn't allow it to retreat all the way. The small part of her she kept conscious was the part of her that cheered over her own victory.

Hiashi had gone after relaying the news of her triumph, pulling the mask back over his face to conceal himself from other students. He'd made no move to assist her to the hospital, which Hinata had expected, but he did leave a tiny bottle on the ground filled with a pain relieving elixir before his departure. Hinata stared at it from atop the crate, hesitant to touch it. Such a rare occurrence when Hiashi Hyuga would extend any form of kindness to a family member, especially his own children.

Being the preferred heir to the Hyuga throne did not necessarily make Hanabi the favorite. Hiashi Hyuga didn't play favorites. Children like to pretend their parents play that game whenever they feel neglected, but Hinata knew her father better than that.

So far she'd made several attempts to rise from her position, but to no avail. After ten minutes she tried again, this time reaching for the elixir, but her back screamed in agony. Hinata made a face, but didn't ease back. Quickly she snatched the bottle up by the nozzle, exhaling a breath of relief after the strain. The thumb-sized cork popped free with the smallest effort, which Hinata was grateful for, so she drank freely from its contents.

Small as the bottle was, Hinata only resolved to consuming half. She pushed the cork back in place, tucking the bottle inside her jacket. A few minutes passed before the medicine started to take effect, but when it did, it really kicked in. Finally Hinata was able to get to her feet. She wobbled a bit, having to hold herself up with help of a wall, but she balanced herself out quick enough.

A small wind brushed against the back of her neck, tickling a few hairs against her skin. It felt nice under the naked stretch of black sky overhead. Dust swept against her heels, bringing along a few cracked pebbles and debris.

A gust of wind pushed against her back, throwing her balance off for a spin, but she caught herself against a light pole. When another airy sweep brushed a few grains of sand against the back of her heels, Hinata stiffened.

_Sand_.

She turned around, seeing someone standing in the middle of the wreckage she and her father had left behind. It was dark and her vision had already begun to blur from the strain of battle. Her head swam for a second, beads of sweat forming at the base of her forehead. She didn't know if was an upcoming fever or not, or perhaps the sudden tension that wrenched its way between her and the stranger.

"Sasuke?" she whispered, hopeful. With a bit of focus she was able to make out a gourd. Not Sasuke.

Gaara uncrossed his arms. Slowly he began to make his way over to her, carelessly stepping through splinters of wood and shards of glass. Hinata backed away, rubbing both eyes with the back of her sleeve. Gaara continued to advance until he came to stand side by side with the light pole.

He lifted his arm and Hinata prepared for an attack, but he slammed it against the base. A yellow light flashed from over head, bulb sizzling with an electric spark. The light turned on and Gaara said, "Better?"

Hinata was thrown for a second. She rubbed her eyes again to get a better look. The light made a spectacular difference, though a bit painful.

"What happened, Gaara-san?" Hinata asked. His skin was dry and hard, spilling of something resembling sand and dirt. Upon closer inspection Hinata could see that it _was_ sand, cracked and chipping apart at the chin. The same could be said of his arms and hands. Even his gourd seemed in worse condition than usual. "Did you f-fight as well?" Hinata wondered.

"I'm surprised to see you're still conscious," Gaara said, crossing his arms again. "Do I take that as indication you've passed?"

Hinata meshed her lips, pulling both eyebrows together. "You knew," Hinata stated.

"Wasn't it obvious?" Gaara replied. He glanced around, eyeing the damage done to the smith's shop and the area around it. "He didn't go soft on you," he said quietly. The creeping danger usually heard in his voice rasped to a dull vibration.

"You mean my fa . . ." Gaara looked at her. His expression was blank, his eyes piercing. "My father," she finished.

A short silence fell between them. Hinata was only half awake, drowning in the tide rolling in from the elixir. She was feeling better and better, but her mind was unrest. "How does it feel?" Gaara said without infliction.

Hinata stared at him, a twinge of fright passing over her.

"How does it feel . . ." Gaara spoke slowly, as if every word had the potential to cause pain. ". . . to be hunted by your own father?"

The sound of feet falling against roof tiles brought their attention upward. Gaara gave a rough snort, disappearing in a swirl of sand and dust. Someone approached Hinata from overhead, bounding onto the roof of the smithery. Soot and fragments of tile slid off, clattering to the ground amongst all the other rubble.

Hinata wasn't sure at first, but her instant thought was of Sasuke. The chambers of her heart squeezed together, causing her breath to still. It _was_ Sasuke, crouched on the roof above her. With no hesitation he leapt to meet her. He only needed a single sprint to enclose the distance between them. Hinata, startled, jerked back, but he caught her by the shoulders.

In his seemingly fiery state, he was surprising gentle. His first action was to access her injuries. He looked her up and down, taking both wrists in his hands. He turned her palms over for a look and narrowed his eyes. They were raw, bleeding from indentations of glass, and throbbing. Sasuke lightly pressed the pink flesh with his fingers, causing Hinata to wince. He quickly pulled away, bringing his fingers up to move her bangs aside. He looked at the blue veins along her eyes, receded yes, but still prominent.

Even though he was not touching her skin Hinata could feel the heat from his hands. Sasuke had only done this on one other occasion. After a long and intense day of training Hinata's eyes had begun to blur. Sasuke, though panting and aching with bruises of his own, moved to check her eyes. In the way he was doing now he reached up to lift her sweaty bangs aside, examining the skin around her eyes.

She had been nervous then, but not enough to blush. Not like she was doing now.

Sasuke moved away from her, putting a few feet between them. "How did you do?" he asked solemnly. Hinata's cheeks flushed out, returning to their pale color. "I passed," she exhaled, beaming a smile at him. Sasuke's eyes flashed with surprise. Hinata brought a hand to her mouth, covering the embarrassment of such an unexpected reaction. A warm fluttering tickled the insides of her stomach, like the beating of hummingbird wings. Mentally she began to lift off the ground, inflated with a sort of infectious happiness.

When her beam subsided into a simple upward curve of the lips she uncovered her mouth. "I passed, Sasuke."

His mouth twitched, but Sasuke's expression remained hard. "Good," he said softly. "I knew you would."

Sasuke, as if unable to meet her eyes, looked over to the smithery. There was a large hole in the side, and mounds of shattered glass everywhere. Soot smeared the debris around it, sand spilling from open crevices in every corner. The back of Sasuke's jaw hitched, the cords in his neck stretching. His expression he felt was no longer stoic, but angry. He walked passed Hinata, disregarding her inquiries of concern.

She watched as he maneuvered through the broken objects around him, stepping over glass and sweeping chunks of wood aside with his foot. His eyes were very sharp, scouting the area around him. Finally he came to a stand beside the light pole, flattening his palm against it.

"He was here," he growled. Sasuke looked at Hinata, bringing his hand down. The skin on Hinata's neck pulled taut, her lips puckering together. She nodded.

"What did he do to you?" Sasuke demanded. He walked over to her with a procession of furious strides.

"H-he didn't do anything," Hinata said weakly.

"What did he say?"

"He barely said anything."

"Hinata—"

"Gaara-san doesn't talk much," Hinata said, bowing her head. "He didn't say anything, I promise."

Sasuke took in a patient breath. He was silent for so long Hinata had to look into his eyes for a response, but his face was impassive. "You call him by his first name," he said. It wasn't a question. Hinata had no idea how to respond to this. She tried to say something, opening her mouth to make words, yet she had no idea what words to make. Sasuke, who assumed a measure of silence in wait for a response, gave up when he determined she would give none of coherence.

"We need to go," he said.

Hinata drew her eyes down. "Okay," she agreed.

Hinata couldn't so much walk as she could limp, so she had to follow behind Sasuke slowly. His back was to her as he walked, yet he always made sure to check behind him to make sure she was following. Every time he had to do this she gave an apologetic smile. After the third time Sasuke sighed, depleted.

Without a word he drew her to him, issuing a shocking squeak from Hinata, and scooped her up in his arms. He carried her as if she were a glass doll, light and fragile. Every bound he made with caution, straining elegance and precision. Hinata was tense in his arms, curling her shoulders against his chest.

"Put your arms around my neck to keep from moving," Sasuke said casually. Hinata stared at him, mouth slightly agape. His eyes looked nowhere except in front of him, but when she didn't move he gave her an impatient glance. "Do you want to fall to your death?" he demanded. Hinata loosened her arms and hooked them around his neck. Satisfied, he drew his attention away from her. Sasuke didn't seem to notice, but her nose was pressed against his naked collar bone where his large collar dipped beneath her chin. She could feel his pulse and hear his heartbeat, which didn't take too long to coincide with hers.

"My . . ." Hinata gulped. "My house is that way, Sasuke-san," she said nervously.

"You think I'm going to deposit you back into the hands of your bastard father and that murderous lunatic?" he replied harshly. Hinata winced at the unrestrained hatred in his voice. "W-where are we going instead?" Hinata dared to ask.

"To the hospital," Sasuke answered. "Where else?"

Hinata blushed against all will. "Nothing," she murmured.

* * *

Sasuke was pleased that the route to the hospital had been clear for the most part. He assumed things had been planned that way on purpose, due to the number of students and jounins that would no doubt wind up injured from the test. When he saw a tall white building in the distance he picked up his pace.

Hinata fidgeted in his arms, but he didn't look at her. "Hold still," he whispered down to her. She stopped. Sasuke inhaled a large breath, exhaling into the wind whizzing by as he ran.

Reaching the gates to the hospital made it okay to walk along the ground. Hinata was still in his arms, quiet and unmoving. An almost inaudible noise came from her, which he presumed was a question. "What?" he asked.

"You can put me down now, Sasuke-san," she said politely.

He came to a stop immediately. In his mind he'd already been inside the hospital, carrying her to a room and setting her down on a bed. He nodded, positioning her to a stand. "Thank you," she said.

"It's alright, come on." He made a move to cup her shoulder with his free hand to guide her along, but caught himself at the last second. Instead he made a gesture for her to lead, which she took without protest. There were already injured students and jounins being carried through the doors, stretched out on gurneys and limping to the emergency room. Had there been an actual assault on the village there would be more pandemonium, therefore it was only logical to assume that everyone here knew of the real situation and the involvement of the tournament.

There were trees and benches scattered in the courtyard outside of the hospital. Floral arrangements lined the walkway to the front doors, smelling sweetly of poesies and nectar. Everything was masked in darkness, not exactly silent, but quiet enough to where Sasuke felt he needed to keep his ears pierced for danger.

There was a student standing by one of the trees near the walkway. Sasuke turned to him as soon as he made a move. His first instinct was to draw Hinata behind him, but when he saw it was only her cousin he eased up.

"Niisan!" Hinata exclaimed.

Neji's eyes fell directly on her, running over her injuries, dissecting her movements and accessing the severity of her limp. With his treatment of her over the years she'd been conditioned to turn the other way whenever he made an unexpected appearance, but this time she went right to him. At least that seemed to be her intention before Sasuke put an arm out to prevent her from getting any closer.

Neji met Sasuke's eyes with hostility. "I see you found her," he said coldly.

"I thought you went back to the estate," Sasuke returned levelly.

"They have no need of me there, so I am free to roam where I wish."

"So you _roamed_ to the hospital? Your injuries aren't that bad."

"Hinata-sama," Neji said, turning to her sharply. Hinata snapped to attention. "Are your injuries severe?"

Hinata composed a response, but when she felt a stutter coming on, stopped herself. With a steady breath she replied, "I don't think so."

"But they probably aren't something to turn a blind's eye at," Sasuke said, looking down at her. "I know how you are, Hinata. If it hurts, say it hurts. You passed the test, remember? You're fine."

"You passed," Neji interjected with surprise. Hinata nodded with a slight smile.

Sasuke cracked his knuckles with a crushing squeeze of his fist. "Who was your opponent?" he demanded.

Hinata raised her head to meet his eyes. A look of surprise came over her as she scuttled for a response. "My father," she answered softly. Sasuke's eyes widened in the dark. Neji hardly made a reaction, as he seemed to already have anticipated such a response. Hinata herself hardly looked perturbed by this fact. Sasuke felt himself steaming on the inside, rising with unrepressed anger. _What is wrong with this_ _family?_ he rumbled. When he'd declared that he would not be returning Hinata to the estate, such a thought had not even crossed his mind, but with this new found information he was more appreciative of his decision to bring her to the hospital.

"I can take Hinata-sama from here," Neji said. His tone did not leave room for argument.

The heat behind Sasuke's eyes began to swim, his jaw locking. "She hasn't needed you thus far and she doesn't need you now," Sasuke seethed. When Hinata tensed up beside him he had to close his eyes for a moment, deflating the anger inside of him. It had been a long day.

"I'll be okay, Sasuke-san," Hinata whispered to him. He glanced at her, frowning. His first reaction might have been to oppose, but he didn't. When he looked at Hinata, genuinely _looked_ at her, he saw how different she'd become in the last few months. She was rapidly blossoming into a ninja who could take care of herself, with or without his help. Sasuke was reluctant to admit it, but he knew that eventually there would come a time when she wouldn't need him as a teacher anymore. He wondered then, if not a teacher, what would he be?

"You'll be fine here?" he asked her.

Hinata smiled at him. "I will."

Sasuke considered her for a moment, turning to Neji with a flick of his bangs. "Don't bring her back _there_," he said coolly.

"Only if that is what she wants."

Sasuke looked at her expectantly. "I'll let the hospital treat me," she assured him.

"Alright." He watched as Hinata took a place beside her cousin. Unlike Sasuke he displayed no hesitation when reaching for her shoulder to guide her along.

"Where will you go, Sasuke-san?" Hinata asked, looking over her shoulder. "Back to the academy?"

Sasuke pushed his knuckles together, rolling his left shoulder with a crack. "No," he said. "Somewhere else."

"Where?" Neji demanded.

"To meet a certain brow-less freak. We have something to discuss." Hinata was prepared to protest, but Neji silenced her with an interruption. "Just don't get yourself killed," he said, translating a message in his eyes. Sasuke read it very well. "That'll be my job."

**/*****************************/A/N/***************************/**

**I'm back, baby.**


	18. Alike

**Alike**

**18**

* * *

Gaara knew he was supposed to be at the Hyuga estate, if not the hospital, and as soon as they found out he was at neither they would come looking for him. All his life he had been watched, stalked, and followed, so it was not uncommon for something like this to happen, however that didn't make it any less annoying. He had killed a few of his "babysitters" in that past, especially the ones he thought were assassins, but here in Konoha he had to be on his best behavior. Unfortunately, his "best behavior" only extended as far as no murders, and he had almost broken that expectation.

It was quiet here in the training field, though not particularly inconspicuous. But it was here he felt most comfortable. Gaara could see the village from this space; see smoke rising from streets hidden by the top of houses, surely just harmless fires started by jonins and genins working for the academy. Without a time device Gaara was only loosely certain it was 3:30am, but he was confident that it was close enough.

By now the test should almost be over, and everyone aware of its falsehood. The students at the academy should be fuming over their loss, and the other ninjas in their hospital beds, Hinata amongst them.

She had been in rather poor condition, but he expected no less. Hyuga Hiashi was not as cold as his own father, even though Neji and Hinata might argue that, but beneath all of his aggression and severity was something Gaara's father had lost a long time ago. Gaara could not call it love, but at least it was _something_.

The conversation between the two of them was still fresh in his mind. Try as he might to wave it away, it always came back to him for some reason, making him tired, and making him angry.

* * *

They were alone, where Hiashi had caught him on the roof of the estate, glaring at the moon. His brother and sister were in their rooms, asleep. Gaara had hoped for solitude, so when Hiashi had shown up beside him and taken a seat, he was very annoyed.

"You must have quite a relationship with the moon," he said. Gaara ignored him, though his approaching statement was unexpected. "You stare at it often; every night in fact. The memories it holds for you must be strong."

Strong indeed, but none of them good. Right Uncle?

"The tournament is tomorrow, as I'm sure you are aware," Hiashi continued. "And I have information about it that you will tell no one else. Your siblings already know, but I opted to tell you myself since it seems that the advice they give you does not particularly hold."

If Gaara was the laughing type, he would have done so now. 'Does not hold' indeed.

"The students have been informed that the first test in the tournament will commence in two days, but unbeknownst to them, it will actually commence tomorrow." Gaara looked at Hiashi, face unmoving. His interest peeked, not that he let it show. Gaara listened quietly to Hiashi as he explained the nature of the first test, and how he would not be legally involved because of elimination rounds in Suna. But he already knew that.

It angered Gaara that he would not be competing for real, but at least he would not be sitting inside the estate bored. Hiashi finished with, "As an honored guest of Suna, I will trust you to respect the wishes of the academy."

"You want me to play a pawn," Gaara said flatly, looking away.

"Not a pawn, particularly," Hiashi replied, "just a helping hand."

Gaara licked the top row of his teeth, glaring harder into the sky. A cloud was moving over the moon. He thought Hiashi would leave in that moment, but he stayed. Apparently he had more words to give, but was not in a rush to do so. "Neji and Hinata will be competing," he finally said.

Gaara knew that too, but why bring it up?

"Neji may or may not find himself alone," he went on, "but either way, you are free to test him if you choose. However Hinata . . ." Hiashi rose to his feet, a tower beside Gaara who looked at him with an expression of stone. "Leave her be. Her test will be conducted by me."

The corner of Gaara's mouth flexed, his jaw tightening. "Why?" he demanded. Hiashi, he thought, would proceed into a detailed explanation of why he was being told to leave Hinata alone, and was waiting impatiently to hear it, but that's not what he received.

"She is my child."

* * *

"Hey freak," someone called from the night. Gaara knew that voice, and stood immediately to face it. He knew someone would come looking for him eventually, however Sasuke Uchiha had been the very last on his list.

Still, his intrusion was not unwelcomed. A few hours of rest had probably done both of them some good since the precious encounter, and were the Uchiha to pick a fight, Gaara was certain he'd be ready. Sasuke stood a considerable distance away, glaring with a force that could set trees on fire. The clouds over the moon were thin, allowing only a small filter of light to illuminate the space between them.

"Back again?" Gaara said.

"I figured you would be alone," Sasuke replied levelly. He moved so that his shoulder was facing Gaara, then slowly, he began to tread a wide circle around him. "I'm sick of you," Sasuke said calmly. "The second you appeared inside the classroom, I knew. Your eyes say you've killed people; murdered them. I knew you were no good then, and you're no good now, not that you've tried to make yourself any different. Fact is, you're a murderer, and you like being a murderer."

"Is there a point to this?" Gaara remarked with boredom. Sasuke continued determinedly, ignoring Gaara's taunts.

"Don't misunderstand," he said. "I don't really give a rat's ass if you've killed one person, a dozen people, or a thousand. What value are they to me when I've never even met them before? I'm not a hero of justice, I'm not some brown-nosing do-gooder, I'm an avenger. I will always be an avenger because I _like_ being an avenger. If you had only come here to compete in the tournament and nothing else, there would be nothing I had to say to you now."

Sasuke's voice dropped, harsher, angrier. There was still a token of patience with every word, but it was forced. Gaara watched stoically as the Uchiha continued to circle around him. "At first you were just a target to me," Sasuke went on, almost absently. "Just another opponent I could defeat and leave in a dead pile behind me. But you were strong. I knew I had to get stronger. If I wanted to fight you, something about me had to change. And believe me when I say something _has_ changed."

Sasuke's intended meaning was not lost on Gaara, and in fact, he'd been waiting eagerly for it. He uncrossed his arms. Sasuke stopped moving and faced forward, his shoulders squared, his veins throbbing. His eyes shone red, swimming with little black beads, a design Gaara had seen only briefly during their last encounter. "You couldn't kill me with two ninjas helping you," Gaara said, "You think you can do so alone?"

"They were a burden," Sasuke said factually. "I work better solo."

"Is that so?" Gaara reached behind him, popping the cork on his gourd. "I'm about to prove to you just how wrong that assumption is."

Sasuke reacted immediately, springing forward with both eyes blazing. Gaara swept his hand forward, slicing the air with fervor. Sand exploded from his gourd, twisting out in a rapid spiral, and shot forward to attack. Sasuke dodged, sending kunais for Gaara's head. A thick wave of sand shot up from the ground and caught them simultaneously, absorbing the solid metal and trapping them for later use.

A thick cloud of smoke erupted around Sasuke, and suddenly he exploded into three people. One of his clones circled around Gaara, sending paper bombs as fast as he was able, and the other, spewing short bursts of fire. The real Sasuke was still, hands forming a justsu Gaara didn't recognize. Dirt and grass flew up like a geyser around him, and all of a sudden he was gone.

The other two of Sasuke's clones were like flies, persistent and annoying, yet never making a solid blow. The free jumping clone throwing paper bombs was caught in a grip of sand, and vanished into a hazy grey cloud, leaving nothing behind but a rotten stump. Gaara clenched his fingers and sent the stump flying at the other clone, who saw it coming and stopped spewing fire balls just long enough to dodge into the air.

Gaara took the opportunity and tossed Sasuke's kunais right back at him, and when they made contact, the clone vanished.

Quiet ensued only for a split moment before the ground underneath Gaara cracked open, splitting like a canyon. The space was just big enough to allow the passage of a single hand. Sasuke grabbed Gaara viciously by the ankle and pulled him underground so fast there was hardly time to blink. The patchy darkness flashed to pitch black. Gaara could feel the cold earth, smell the dirt and soil. The space was worse than a coffin, surrounding him on all sides, constricting and suffocating.

Sasuke's hand was gone, and up above him Gaara could see the sky, peeking out of the circle in the ground. Sasuke appeared right above him, making a hand sign Gaara recognized all too well. Before the fire could reach the ground, a protective blanket of sand poured in overhead, forming a cork to separate Gaara from the heat.

Breathing was becoming difficult. Gaara summoned more sand, allowing for a makeshift drill to plow through the earth. At first he went horizontally, burrowing through the soil, then made a sharp turn upward and burst through the surface, feet off the ground. The trees burst into view, and Sasuke, who had spun to face Gaara a second before a tidal wave of sand came crashing down on him.

Gaara landed on two feet, quickly spreading his arms out, fanning both palms toward each other like a clamp. Two walls of sand formed as a result, condensed into two solid barricades, and ready to crush Sasuke's mundane body with only the slightest movement from Gaara. When he brought his hands together, a clap resonated through the night, and with it, the two massive walls of sand. They connected like stone, crashing with a _boom_ and crumbling into each other.

Sasuke had to take to the air to avoid it, and with a swift procession of hands signs, sent a giant wave o fire in Gaara's direction. Gaara took his right hand and swept it over his head to form a barrier. The fire connected, ramming against the sand dome, spewing layers of heat on either side of him. Even with a sand shield protecting his skin, Gaara could feel the sweat beginning to form at his neck.

When the fire stream stopped, Gaara thrust both hands out immediately, parallel to one another, calling upon two thick ribbons of sand, and with an upward grabbing motion, managed to catch Sasuke from behind by both arms. Gaara pulled his fists down, bringing Sasuke to the ground with fury, slamming him into the dirt with enough force to shake the earth underneath him.

Sasuke cried out, grunting in pain. Gaara was not slow to react. With his right hand raised, a hefty wave of sand came arching overhead, blocking what little bit of moonlight filtered through the clouds, and formed a massive spike. Gaara brought his hand down at once, aiming for Sasuke's core. The sand held Sasuke firmly by the arms, pinning him to the ground. He saw the spike coming, his eyes wide.

Gaara was certain it was over, but a blue shockwave came thundering from the sky, crashing into the sand spike like a falling star. An explosion of electricity and sand lit the night. Startled, Gaara jumped back. In his moment of distraction, the vice grips on Sasuke's arms loosened, and he wrenched free with a quick burst of energy. In no time at all he was on his feet, heels already lifting off the ground for a sprint.

But there was someone between them now. Gaara recognized this person; large tuff of white hair, waving toward the sky, padded jonin jacket, a sleek mask over his face—the Uchiha's sensei. With a quick glance Gaara saw Sasuke's reaction. He looked neither happy or relieved.

"Enough!" Kakashi commanded at once. His hand was raised, palm clenching with subsiding bursts of electricity sizzling out. Gaara snorted, cracking his knuckles in frustration. There always had to be an interruption.

Kakashi faced Gaara, but his address was to Sasuke. With a slight angle of his head he said, "So soon, Sasuke?"

"Mind your own business, Kakashi," Sasuke shot.

Kakashi turned his back on Gaara, momentarily distracted but not unguarded. "Look at you," he said to Sasuke. "Not only did you just come out of a fight, but your chakra is nearly depleted. I can feel how weak you are, and don't try to deny it. It was foolish of you to jump into another useless quarrel."

Sasuke was scowling, eyes glowing. Right now it looked to Gaara as if Sasuke regarded his sensei as an enemy rather than a teacher. But the Uchiha seemed compliant nonetheless.

"You act before you think," Kakashi continued. "Did you even bother to consider the fact that this might get you expelled from the tournament? If it had been any other jonin but me, this outcome would have been disastrous for both you and your teammates." Though furious, Sasuke had no choice but to accede. His eyes dulled back to normal, the scowl on his face disappearing.

Satisfied, Kakashi brought his attention to Gaara, stepping forward once. "You should be at the estate, Sabaku Gaara," he said calmly. "The Hyuga's are looking for you now. And your siblings."

Gaara ignored that. It wasn't anything he hadn't already suspected. More important was the Uchiha. He glared at Gaara from behind his sensei, coming forward to reassume his position. Kakashi allowed them to stand face to face, probably thinking it best to let each get their last words out before separating.

"This isn't over, freak," Sasuke said coldly. "Never forget that you're just a target to me; not an enemy, not a rival, just someone to be defeated and forgotten."

Gaara narrowed his eyes, stretching the side of his mouth wide enough to expose the tip of his tongue, trailing along the back row of his teeth. "If that was the case," Gaara said menacingly, "why did you come here?"

Sasuke shook his head slowly, glaring at Gaara in disgust. "You act like your pain is so much greater than everyone else's," he said. "Like nothing in the world is comparable. And you think that gives you permission to do whatever you want. That's what really makes me sick."

"If that's the case," Gaara said, unabashed, "than I suppose we are more alike than you thought."

Sasuke was silent. At first he looked like he might make a rebuttal, but what he said instead was this: "If I ever catch you near her or my teammates again, I will _destroy_ you."

A twinge of pure, unpolished anger flickered inside Gaara's chest. It came out of nowhere, strong, distinctive, bringing back a nostalgic flash of pain that came and went like a flash of lightening. "Maybe when you've gotten stronger, that threat will mean something to me," he said coolly. "Next time we fight, it will be on legal grounds where no one will be able to come and save you. I promise you, Sasuke Uchiha, that I will kill you mercilessly, and when you scream, she will be there to hear it."

**/*********************************/A/N/********************************/ **

**I didn't want Hinata to be the only reason Gaara and Sasuke don't like each other. After all, they disliked each other in the series for very different reasons, and I'm doing my best to bring that to light in as believable a way as I can. As a side note, I was looking over all the chapters for this story the other day and . . . they need some work, to say the least. I think I'll embark on an editing venture soon to fix all the mistakes I made. I promise not to erase any original content, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't want to. Be on the lookout. Bye until next time!**


	19. Blind

Blind

19

* * *

The next morning was sunny. Hinata knew this not by sight, but by feeling. The light pouring into the room grazed over her skin, warm and caressing, and she knew she had gone blind. At least temporarily. Her fingers gingerly traced the bandages over her eyes and she sighed.

She sniffed the air. Airy, cool, with a hint of bitterness and peppermint. Those were herbs she smelled. There was something else she smelled too. Something sweet that obviously had not come from the hospital where she had undoubtedly woken up. At some point during her treatment last night she had passed out. Faintly she remembered her Niisan, whispering in her ear that he'd be right outside the door until everything was over.

He wasn't here now. Her jacket was gone too, as well as every bit of soiled clothing from last night. As thankful as she was for the bath and the change of clothing, the whereabouts of the elixir bottle worried her. She had meant to keep it.

It wasn't long before Hinata heard the sound of footsteps outside her door. Someone was here to see her. They opened the sliding door, came inside, and shut it respectfully behind them. She inhaled the new scent in the room, sensing the familiar aura. Incense and tea. Niisan.

He didn't say a word. Instead he came by her bedside, taking casual, unhurried steps, and placed something on the table nearby. He then went over to the window and opened it, moving aside for the breeze to come rushing in. Smells of springtime burst through the room, and with all Hinata's senses tingling except one, she swore she could almost see it.

"How are you feeling this morning, Hinata-sama?" he asked. His voice was different from last night; calmer, collected. Nothing like his old voice, the familiar one which burned with acidic accusation. Last night she had heard it used on Sasuke-san, and before, on Gaara. Before then, it was the only voice she heard whenever he spoke to her. When did he change?

"I can't see," she said quietly.

"Indeed," he replied. "Hopefully you were prepared for the possibility." Hinata nodded. She had strained herself too much during the fight with her father.

"How are you?" Hinata asked him. He had told her nothing of his fight. She didn't even know if he had passed the test; she only suspected. He was stronger than her in every sense, so if she had passed, surely that meant he had too.

"I'm well," Neji said. "I've brought you something to eat. The food here isn't as nutritious as the kind you're used to. It will help you recover faster if you eat it." Hinata's mouth nearly fell open. He had brought her breakfast? A curious rush of heat rose to her cheeks and she smiled gratefully.

"Thank you, Niisan!"

He said nothing in response, but she imagined him nodding.

"Will you please tell me what happened to everyone last night? Did you pass?"

"Of course," he said without a fraction of smugness. "The Uchiha and his teammate have too. They were challenged by their sensei, Kakashi. As was I. You of course got your father. From what I heard there was some resistance when Hiashi opted to test you himself, but the Hokage knows us. He was certain he wouldn't go easy on you just because you're his daughter. If the fact that you're now blind in a hospital bed is not proof enough, I don't know what is."

Neji's voice hardened at the end, or it seemed like it to Hinata. She didn't understand why. He had been no more surprised by Hiashi's involvement then she was when she had told him last night. She heard as he made his way over to the table beside her bed and open whatever it was he had placed there. "Here," he said. She reached out for whatever he was offering and secured a pair of chopsticks. She broke them in half and accepted his second offering, a bento box.

She waited before taking the first bite. "Where is Gaara-san?" she asked. Something in the room changed at the sound of his name. Neji's silence sapped the atmosphere of its warm feel, and Hinata suspected that something had happened. "Niisan?"

"Why ask about him?" he said tersely.

"I encountered him last night after father left," she explained.

"What?" Neji had heard nothing of this. The only reason Sasuke knew is because he had shown up directly after. She hoped she hadn't made a mistake in telling him, but it was too late and it was already out in the open.

"He didn't do anything," she went on. "He only came to see if I had passed the test." Neji did not relax.

"Funny that he had the time to make so many visits after the fight." Hinata tilted a head at his response.

"Wh-What do you mean?"

"Yes, I guess you wouldn't know," Neji said absently, uncapping something that sounded like a thermos. The smell of herbal tea wafted into the air, the steam playing with Hinata's skin. He left it on the counter for her to reach for it when she was ready. He went to the window. Hinata imagined him with his back straight, staring out into the world without really seeing it. Whenever his mind was on something his eyes would assume that far away distant look like she imagined they were doing now.

"What happened?" Hinata pressed after a moment's silence.

"I said our test was conducted by Kakashi. That was not entirely true. The fight itself was against Sabaku Gaara."

Hinata didn't feel nearly as surprised as she should have. She remembered how Gaara had looked last night; worn, cracked, and slightly more off than usual. If his opponents had been the three of them, it was no wonder he had such a beaten look about him. And he had seemed so indestructible. She wondered if he was alright.

"Where are Sasuke-san and Naruto-kun?"

"I don't know where the idiot is," Neji said. "The Uchiha is training with Kakshi, I believe. I don't know for sure. I don't keep tabs on him."

"Did something happen last night?" Hinata asked. "You said 'so many visits.' Does that mean Gaara-san went to see someone else besides me?"

"That's not important," Neji said sternly. "Right now just concentrate on resting. Nins only have a short time to recover before they have to start training again. The next round in the tournament will be coming up in a few short months. However, knowing the underhanded tactics of the Academy, I would start training much sooner if I were you. You need to be at your best and beyond if we should face off against each other."

He came from the window, hesitating by her beside. She angled her head toward him, feeling a cold sweat beginning to form at her neck. A papery rustling sound disrupted the silence as Neji placed something else on the table and turned to leave. Hinata asked what it was.

"It was left for you before I got here," said Neji. That coldness was back in his tone, giving Hinata a slight shiver. "They're cinnamon buns."

* * *

Gaara didn't expect to see her in class. He didn't expect to see anyone in class. So why was _he_ here? Only three days after the tournament and the Academy was open for lessons. The jonins had given ample time for nins to recover from their wounds, three weeks in fact, but since the majority of class had, for obvious reasons, not passed the test, it was decided that class would carry on as usual.

Naturally he was expected to be here, though he could think of a million other things to do besides waste his time here on lessons he had already acquired in Suna. Since the tournament his siblings had been keeping a careful eye on him, more than usual, and it was just as annoying as it ever was. Baki had been warned as well, and now set Gaara on a schedule that he more or less played off as a joke.

The day Gaara adhered to any kind of schedule would be the day he stopped loathing humanity.

Being the first day back in class, the nins who had not passed the first test were seething in their failure, and reveled in the opportunity to share their anger with others. If nothing else, Gaara could at least say he came for that.

"Oy," Naruto whispered from the lower deck. He sat next to the annoying pink hair ninja—the one Gaara faintly remembered seeing around the Uchiha. He had wondered some time ago if she was his teammate. If so, he felt the closest thing to sympathy he had ever felt towards anything, least of all someone he despised. Had she hung all over him as she did the Uchiha, he may have killed her a long time ago.

The blond haired idiot inspired the same feelings, though Gaara hated him for an entirely different reason.

"Oy," Naruto hissed again. Could he not tell that the girl was ignoring him? When he hissed at her again she spun on him, her ridiculously colored hair flowing up around her.

"What?" she barked.

"You didn't get hurt during the exam, did you?"

"No I didn't get hurt during the exam, you baka," she snapped at him. "I was here, remember? While you and Sasuke were out passing the test? Instead I was stuck in this room with half the class and that blond bimbo of a pig."

"I heard that, billboard brow!" shouted a girl from across the classroom. Obviously they had distanced themselves from each other, though it did nothing to ebb their heated exchanges. Gaara watched in disgust as the two engaged in verbal argument over the class. Somehow they had managed to become even more annoying now that the Uchiha wasn't here.

Even after all that had happened the "avenger," as he called himself, was well and on his feet, now training with his sensei. That was good. He needed it. Gaara relished in the moment when the Uchiha's head would finally be in his hand. That despairing look in his eyes when the moment finally came that he realized all his training had been useless, his prestige, his heritage, rendered worthless.

Amongst the bantering in the classroom no one had noticed when the door opened in the upper deck. Gaara uncrossed his arms, one arm coming to rest on the desk. She _did_ come.

From what he heard he imagined she would still be in the hospital. Of all the nins given time to recover from their injuries, Hinata was the one who should have needed it the most. Her walk was slow and casual, but with a noticeable trace of caution. She descended one row beneath him and took the seat directly down from his.

He had seen her eyes. The veins in her skin were no longer bulging, but receded, leaving behind bluish scars beneath her already translucent skin. In the time it took her to enter the classroom and take a seat, she had not blinked once.

Sounds died around him as he stared at her back. That tiny back. Even lacking in physical strength as he was, he felt he could wrap his arms around that back and crush her. There was a fragility about her that had not been there before the exam, and he suspected that she was not recovered enough to be in class.

She didn't even look down at Naruto, whom she could no doubt hear, what with the insufferable shouting and laughing. And that was another thing that annoyed him. To think that this rodent like boy had faced off against Gaara not three days ago, and was cavorting in class as if nothing had happened. The next time they fought, he would act differently.

When class was over Gaara watched Hinata rise from her seat. She gave acknowledgement to no one, though he saw her turn her head slightly in his direction as she made her way upstairs. When she left through the door, he followed. Something was off.

Hinata's movements were something he was not stranger to. After all, he had taken up residence in her home. He watched her there, too. She may or may not have known it, but either way, it didn't curb his obsession.

His interest in her today was stronger than it had been in weeks. She seemed hollow, looking at no one and talking to no one. She wandered in isolation, every step aware of itself as if she were treading through a mine field.

At the exit he saw her reach slowly for the doors, feeling for the handle, and pushed her way outside. Ah. Now he understood. She was blind.

No doubt it was from the strain of her kekkeigenkai. Aside from the inner scarring around her eyes, there had also been some bruising. Gaara wondered what she was doing out and about instead of in a hospital bed. He'd swear the residents of Konoha had the most endurance of any country he'd ever seen. This girl in particular, who surpassed even his most persistent assassins in will. Few had begged for their life before he ended it. Gaara doubted she would do the same.

He continued following her through the streets of Konoha. It was a scorching day, not unlike what he was used to in his desert village, and though she was blinded, he kept to the shadows. A little girl ran past her and tripped. Hinata reached out and caught her just before she hit the ground.

"Be careful," she said kindly, and continued on her way. Where was she going? Not towards the estate, which was in the other direction. From her path so far, it looked as if she were heading toward the training grounds. The Uchiha was not there. Gaara knew this. Whatever training he and his sensei were doing was far out of reach, a lesson not intended for casual viewers.

Once she'd reached the training grounds, she positioned herself at one of the targets. She extracted several kunais from the holster around her leg and began practicing. Interesting. He watched from the trees as she threw knife after knife. Her aim was superb, even in her condition, and her posture was good.

She stopped after about a half hour and wandered toward the hill tops. She sat there, next to a tree, and put her head against her shoulder as if to sleep. He came over to her when it looked like she had drifted off. Gaara studied her.

Her face was soft, if not slightly bruised. The white skin on her cheeks were lined with barely visible cuts, and on her lower lip, a much darker one. Her hair had gotten longer since he'd first seen her. Her bangs in particular slicked well past her shoulders, moving gently with the breeze.

He could kill her now. It would be so easy. His hand stretched towards her, his palm flat against the air. Reaching for her throat. Her heart. He didn't know. Before he could touch her she said his name. He drew back, narrowing his eyes.

"Gaara-san," she said, looking up at him. Those glassy eyes, like silver stained windows, stared at him. Seeing nothing. Indeed, she saw nothing, but she knew it was him. Did she know he'd been following this entire time? "If you were forced to kill one of your own family members, someone who was like a brother to you, would you?"

The question was unexpected, but it sparked the tiniest bit of pleasure in him. He turned away.

"I don't have to be forced," he said, and left her.

**/********************************/A/N/********************************/**

I really really hope I didn't do anything inconsistent here. As you know, it's been a WHILE. I had to go back over all these chapters to write this new one. I have to go back again to write others. Wow, I swear I can't see a finish line. I want to end it so bad, but I don't know how, and I certainly don't want to slop together a final chapter when there are people who've been following this story for years. I owe you guys quite a bit. Well, if you're not pissed off at me and you still like this story, I encourage you to keep reading.


	20. No Vacancy

No Vacancy

20

* * *

His hand stung. The veins in his arm pulsed, throbbing with every beat of his heart. He liked it. Pain meant progress, and Kakashi had been beating him into the ground for the past three weeks, in addition to teaching him the _Chidori_.

Chakra out of control, electric sparks screeching and biting like the violent chirp of birds, the Chidori was by far the most powerful attack Sasuke had ever been taut. Sometimes he imagined testing it on Naruto. Other times he imagined annihilating Gaara with it. But more than anything else, he meditated using it on Itachi, finally being able to suckle the revenge he had desired for so long.

Itachi should have been the only thing on his mind. Nothing else mattered. Nothing. Not his teammates, his classes, or even his sensei, whose only real importance was to teach Sasuke new techniques. Right now, the Chidori was a blessing, and Sasuke needed Kakashi to master it. But he knew that once that was done (and it would be), Kakashi would no longer matter. That's right. Nothing mattered.

And yet weeks ago he remembered dropping by the sweet shop in town. A bakery. Curry buns, cream pies, and garlic rolls, but the only interest he had had was in the cinnamon buns. He knew what he was doing when he bought them. Early as sin in the morning and right before training, he had deigned to stop by, and for a specific purpose. _This is stupid_, he had kept thinking. _Why am I here? I told myself I wouldn't bother anymore._ All the while he had been standing behind the counter, handing the baker money in exchange for the pastries.

Cursing himself, Sasuke had deposited them at the hospital, right in her room while she was still asleep. He had wanted to stay. As much as it pained him to admit it, he had wanted to stay. Her sleeping face, bruised and bandaged, her little frame shaped by the thin hospital sheets . . . He made sure to leave quickly.

That was the last time he had seen her. Through all the hand signs, cracked bones, and raging chakra, he had done an admirable job on not thinking of her. Besides avenging his family and strengthening every part of his body, pushing her from his thoughts had single-handedly been his toughest goal.

Three weeks. Twenty-three days. Not thinking of her, no. Fully focused on training. Fully focused on not dying. Fully focused on treating his sore muscles every night in preparation for the next day. And yet he had been counting the days.

One time he had wanted to see her. Badly. Like a possessed man, he broke from training early when Kakashi had dismissed him and started straight toward the estate. Not wobbling—but wanting to, not eating—but starving like a wolf, and not sleeping, even though he was on the verge of passing out, Sasuke had gone there. He remembered standing at the gates, looking beyond the bars into the large courtyard.

Servants lingered about, either carrying food or occupying concealed corners to smoke. No one saw him. His chakra was so damn depleted not even an entry level ninja would have been able to sense him. Five minutes he had stood there. Five long minutes of hurting, aching, and debating. Finally, he had turned around, disgusted with himself, and vowed to never step foot anywhere near the place again.

Unless he came to throttle Neji or bury Gaara in his own sand, there was no reason for him to be there. No reason.

The next hurdle of the tournament was close. Only six days away. Kakashi never failed to mention the slash in calendar days, so Sasuke was always aware.

In three weeks he had done good. That's what Kakashi had said yesterday. There was healing to be done now, his arm being the main focus, but Sasuke didn't want to heal. A waste of time. It was best to train while still throbbing, but Kakashi was the one who laid down the rules. Puh. A joke. Sasuke would have dismissed that completely, that is if Kakashi hadn't promised another session right before the tournament. His teammates would even be there for that one.

In his time of healing, Sasuke only did two things: studied, and meditated. The amount of focus executed over these last three weeks was impressive. More intense than at any other point in his life. Far more than his time spent training Hinata. She was nothing but a distraction. This is how he viewed her. It was only way he could manage to get anything done.

Whenever he started thinking of her as anything other than that, _those_ feeling would start to surface again. Potent and noisy, they had the potential to cut through any amount of concentration he was able to muster. Such power in a single thought. _How will she do in the next exam?_

This thought was a root, a harbinger for other similar thoughts. They always wound up sprouting and branching out in all different directions. Was she training enough? Had she healed all the way? Was Gaara harassing her? Her cousin? Her father? And even more irrelevant, ludicrous thoughts such as, _is she thinking of me?_

And that's why he was here now. A crazed man starved of narcotics had nothing on Sasuke. At least that's how he felt, sitting back on his knees, directly in the middle of the Hyuga's living room. And awaiting the headmaster. Kami's sake, what was he doing here?

While he waited, a servant brought him tea. She was an old woman, clothed in a typical servant's kimono, dull colored and unspectacular. "Is Hinata here?" he asked without turning his head. He didn't reach for the tea. The woman's tiny shoulders shook with surprise, her yellowish eyes widening to a considerable degree. "You're here for the young miss?"

"Is she here?" Sasuke asked again.

"She is," the servant replied with a smile. Sasuke noticed the way she lowered her voice, and assumed it was inappropriate for servants to be making conversation while serving guests, alone or not. "Are you one of her friends?"

"Her classmate," Sasuke answered, a bit annoyed by the woman's prying. And even more by her apparent disappointment.

"Oh, I was under the impression that . . . well, you call her by her first name. Hinata-sama doesn't often get visitors. I should know. I'm her nanny."

"Where is Hiashi Hyuga?"

"He's coming," the woman said with assurance. Either she was too pleased to react to Sasuke's rudeness, or she didn't notice. "He is a busy man."

"That's enough, Keiko," Hiashi announced, coming in from the next room. He waved a hand. "Leave us."

"Yes, Hiashi-sama," the servant replied, and scurried away. Hiashi's white-gray kimono was thick and layered, making him look bigger than he actually was. There certainly was a presence about him. The lines of his face were sparse, but set firmly in places where they appeared. His age was obvious not in his physique or posture—far from it—but the hard set of his face, the faded scars along his skin, and those intelligent rock-white eyes that seemed to pull things apart for inspection without permission.

Sasuke was not intimidated. His own father had been pretty much the same.

Hiashi lowered himself to the table across from Sasuke, fixing his steely gaze on him. "It is an honor to have you here, young Uchiha," he greeted. "Is there something you need?"

Right to the point. That was good. Sasuke wasn't here to waste time. Then again, neither of them had time to waste. "I'm here to see your daughter," Sasuke said with unwavering directness.

"Hinata."

"Yes." Obviously.

"For what reason?"

"Does the reason matter?" Hiashi didn't seem to react much to Sasuke's insolence, and Sasuke did acknowledge to himself that it _was_ insolence. He just didn't care. What he wanted with Hinata was none of his business. Not for a father that didn't give two craps about his daughter. When Hiashi spoke, his voice was a restrained, and chilling calm.

"You come here demanding the presence of my daughter, who at this time is in the middle of an intense training session with her cousin. If you're going to extract her from it, there needs to be a good reason."

What a headache. Sasuke suppressed the urge to grind his teeth and sigh. This frustration further prompted him to ask: Why. Am. I. Here? "Her training is the reason I'm here," Sasuke managed in a leveled tone. Huh. That was all news to him.

"Oh?" Hiashi didn't raise an eyebrow.

"I don't know if she told you," Sasuke said, "but I trained her for a time. I'm interested in how she's . . . progressing without me."

"You think her incapable of making progress without you?" There wasn't hint of smugness in his voice or even a twitch of a smirk on Hiashi's face. Sasuke was annoyed, nonetheless, because that wasn't what he meant at all.

"No," Sasuke said shortly. "I don't think that. I'm only here to see her. I didn't know it would be this complicated." At that, the first semblance of emotion appeared on Hiashi's face. It was a smile. The wrinkles around his mouth stretched, but not in that tight, unhappy manner he was accustomed to seeing in older people; especially hard-hearted men like Hiashi.

"I knew your father when he was young," he said. Sasuke didn't emote at all at the mention of his father. Hiashi was undeterred. "He was a lot like you. We were two of the most prestigious clans in Konoha. I knew you as a little boy, Sasuke Uchiha."

"I don't see what this has to do with anything."

Hiashi chuckled slightly. "At least your arrogance is the same." And then the hard set of his face was back, Boring into Sasuke with those ghosty white eyes. It all happened in a flash, but that was probably the closest thing to warm Hiashi Hyuga had ever been, Sasuke realized. He didn't feel privileged to have witnessed it. "You cannot see Hinata."

If Sasuke had any less control over himself, he would have winced. With even less control, he might have turned the table over, steaming teacup and all. All this dancing around just to be told no. "Why?" he demanded.

"As I said, she's busy training. Something you should be doing, if I'm not mistaken. You know how close the next exam in the tournament is."

"I don't need reminding," Sasuke said, letting his irritation slip for the first time. "I assume the sand freak will be entering this time."

"Sabaku Gaara. That's correct."

"Why is he living here?"

"That is absolutely none of your concern. Know your place, boy. You may be the last surviving member of the Uchiha clan, but you are still a child. Your insolence is more than enough indication. Speaking to me as if we were equals, making demands and clenching your fists hard enough to bleach the skin. You're lucky I have the patience that I do." Ignoring Sasuke's scowl, Hiashi rose to his feet. "This discussion is over. You may finish your tea if you want, but afterwards, please leave."

Amazing. What was it about this house that turned everyone into a douche? Sabaku Gaara, Neji, and now Hiashi. Then again, Sasuke never liked Hiashi to begin with. Being dismissed as he just was irked Sasuke to no end. Only Kakashi ever dared to treat him like a child, and here was this bastard of a father making a show of it.

Sasuke looked down at his hands in his lap and realized that he _had_ been clenching them. Veins bulged out from the back of his hands, branching all the way up his arm, dark blue, a stark contrast with the rest of his pale skin.

Whatever. He wasn't going to let it get to him. He had wanted to see Hinata, but today wasn't the day. This wasn't his house, and she wasn't his family. With Neji he could easily disregard the letdown, but Hiashi was different. Under that heavy-weight Kimono was a tight girdle of authority, and there was no real reason for him to try to cut any strings.

As Sasuke took his leave—damn the tea—he felt someone's eyes on him. Stepping out into the courtyard, he looked around. There was no one out here. No servants, not even a stray cat. And yet he could feel someone out here. The aura seeping into the wind was cold and dark, swirling with discomforting shades of red and purple, which he could see with a quick activation of his Sharingan. This smog of a chakra was choking and hostile, and he recognized it right away. "Damn stalker," Sasuke muttered, and walked away.

* * *

"What does this mean?" Naruto waved the new guidelines in front of Sakura's face. She blew air out her nose and snatched it from him. After weeks of separation and multiple stages of training, the team had finally been assembled together, even though Naruto and Sasuke were the only ones competing in the next exam. Kakashi had told them to meet on top of one of the watchtowers in town, even though he was nowhere to be found, as usual.

"How many times am I going to have to explain this to you?" Sakura scolded. "I don't know how you passed the last exam. You're lucky you got paired up with Sasuke."

"Hey!" Naruto whined. "I passed on pure talent alone! Sasuke-baka only held me back."

Sasuke said nothing to this. He barely even heard it. When Hinata wasn't around, ignoring Naruto was extraordinarily simple. There wasn't even a need to pay attention to Sakura, who had been recounting the rules for the upcoming exams. It was simple enough.

At the start of the exam, names were to be picked out of a hat or something to form random pairs, and from the same village. Every pair would be given a kunai, colored and marked with their village symbol, and then dispersed into the forest. At the top of the forest was a tower.

The goal was to steal a kunai from each competing village, and then rush to the top of the tower to mark a victory. Only two other villages were competing, which meant that Sasuke only needed two other kunais to pass the exam, along with the one from his own village.

Avoiding traps and other hostile teams when reaching the tower was a problem, too, but to Sasuke, no more than a headache. It was a relief to know that teams from the same village wouldn't be battling against each other. Now that didn't necessarily mean that pairs from the same village were _forbidden_ to battle; it was just a waste of time.

Hinata, Naruto, Neji, Rock Lee, and himself. Those were the only ones he knew of that had passed the last exam. Interesting. That meant there would be one team of three. And if that was the case, that meant acquiring an extra kunai—for fairness. An extra person meant more power, that is, of course, depending on who that extra person was. Sasuke felt sorry for the team who got stuck with Naruto.

Well, not really.

Mixed emotions raged inside of Sasuke when he thought of being paired up with Hinata. That's what he wanted. Not to protect her, of course. But to ensure that she passed.

Yeah.

Great Gods and Kami forbid she should end up paired with Naruto. Sasuke's teeth gnashed together at the thought.

Sabaku Gaara would be paired up with someone from his village. Sasuke wondered who. If teams of three were permitted, shouldn't teams of one also be allowed? If that was the case, it was a possibility that Gaara would wind up battling against the other teams alone. He certainly didn't need a partner, as strong as he was.

Whenever Sasuke had seen Gaara, someone had always been with him. His siblings. His sensei. Only a few times did Sasuke ever see him alone, and each time the results were bad. Sabaku Gaara was a force meant to be tamed. Alone, who knows what disasters would ensue. No. Regardless of the rules, the jonins would make sure he had a partner.

The exam was two days away now. While Sakura continued to hound Naruto on the rules, Sasuke ignored them both, lounging back on the bench, staring in the direction of Hinata's estate. He wondered if she was still training. She probably was. She was a hard worker.

A time ago, he had wondered what he would do when she didn't need him to train her anymore. Had that time already come and gone?

How utterly stupid. What did it matter? A tournament was a tournament, and the definition of a tournament was always very clear. Multiple battles. One victor. Whether Hinata would come to face him, or someone else, what did it matter? Both of them couldn't be left standing. The road to becoming a warrior was full of rocks and ditches. It couldn't all be flat surfaced. His life had never been. Not once. The only time when it had even been remotely enjoyable was . . .

No. There was no time for that. Carriage rides were for fairy-tales. Affection was for children. And Sasuke hadn't been a child since the day his parents were killed. This ridiculous tug-of-war between happiness and revenge had become far too stabilized. There was no equilibrium when the two was involved.

Revenge _was_ happiness. Two in the same. He was convinced of that. Where this sudden struggle had come from, Sasuke had no idea. There was only room in his heart for one person—someone who he hoped to eradicate as soon as possible. He was sure of that.

Without knowing it, he continued to stare out over the town toward the Hyuga estate.

**/*********A/N*********/**

**If I did anything inconsistent here, please let me know. TTFN**


End file.
